The Lion and The Ram
by MoxxieRusso
Summary: Alice Seto is the newest heiress on campus and after the death of her father she's set to take over his Toy Empire. But Corporate Japan is a dark and shady place, and it's dangerous to be a multi-million dollar princess. Oh well, there's always The Host Club, right?
1. Ouran Has a New Heiress!

**Alright guys, so I've gotten quite a few requests for an Ouran High School Host Club story and I just could not resist the temptation! The pairings go as follows, no hate pls: Hikaru/Haruhi and Tamaki/OC. **

**Now for the disclaimer and some character info! YAY!**

**The writer acknowledges that Ouran High School Host Club, it's characters and storylines are creative properties of Bisco Hatori, Shojo Beat and VIZ Media. All original story and OC's are, however, creative properties of Moxxie Russo. No Stealing.**

* * *

><p>Name: Alice Seto (Seto Arisu)<p>

Age: 16

Hair: Light Brown

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5'1" (155 cm)

Birthday: August 18th

Astrological Sign: The Lion

Class: Second Year

Ethnicity: Japanese-American

Nationality: American

Alice is the daughter of powerful toy manufacturer, Seto Akira and his american Ex-Wife, Elizabeth Jones-Seto. After her parents divorce when she was 10, Alice moved to America with her mother, but after her father's death she returned to Japan, at her grandmother, Seto Sayuri's, request. Alice agrees to the move, as she doesn't want her father's company to be subjected to a corporate take over should she not accept her duties.

* * *

><p>"Sit up straight, Arisu, You'll wrinkle your Mofuko." Sayuri hissed to her granddaughter, who sat slouched in her chair. She smiled as Arisu did as she was told, sitting up straighter and adjusting her obi. Arisu sat quietly beside her, her lips pulled into a thin line. She hadn't spoken much all day, as the women sat beside Seto Akira's urn.<p>

"Sorry, Obaasan." Arisu mumbled, forcing a smile at one of the older trustees who came to pay his respect to her father's ashes. She watched him bow to the vase, thinking bitterly on how silly it looked, until she thought about her own appearance. With all the make up her grandmother had caked on her face you couldn't tell that she he been crying all day, but her eyes stung and her nose was sore.

"Don't cry, Arisu, you're eyeliner will run." Sayuri commented, seeing the corners of her grandchild's eyes water. Arisu sniffed once, taking her handkerchief and dabbing her eyes gently, before giving her grandmother a dull look. The woman smiled, taking Arisu's hand in hers and squeezing it. Sayuri had been very hard on her today, the trustees had to see Arisu as strong and capable, but Sayuri knew deep down how distraught her granddaughter was.

"Yes, obaasan." Arisu muttered, sniffing lightly. The Seto home had grown quite crowded in the past hour, many people showed. She knew some of them, recognizing them as board members and their families, others she wasn't so familiar with. But she smiled at them all the same, putting up her brave face though all she wanted to do was retreat to her room.

Her father's ailing health had escaped her, when she visited over the summer he was perfectly fine, but here she was, the end of september, at his funeral. The doctor's had explained to her and her mother that he had been battling heart disease for some time now, the heart attack was inevitable, but Arisu couldn't believe them. He'd seemed so healthy when she saw him last.

"Sayuri-Sama." A deep voice drawled, pulling Arisu from her reverie. A man stood before Arisu and her grandmother, smiling empathetically down at them. Sayuri stood, and Arisu followed her lead. She recognized this man from her childhood, his name was Suoh Yuzuru, he was one of her fathers closest friends and a board member.

"Yuzuru-Sama," Sayuri smiled, bowing politely. Arisu followed her lead, bowing to him as well. "We have been waiting for your arrival." Sayuri smiled, covering her face with her sleeve. Yuzuru nodded in amusement, his eyes turning to Arisu.

"Arisu-San, I missed you on your last visit. My son and I were vacationing most of his summer break." He apologized, bowing, before smiling at her. "You've gotten taller." He teased her. Of all the board members, she actually enjoyed Yuzuru Suoh. He wasn't as stuffy as the rest of them and her familiarity with the man left him like family.

"Speaking of Tamaki-Kun...?" Sayuri asked, looking behind Yuzuru. Arisu followed her gaze, she remembered Tamaki from when they were younger, much younger, but as they grew older Arisu didn't see much of him on her bi-yearly visits to her father's. He was busy with school and she was busy with trustees.

"Ah! How rude of him!" Yuzuru turned, snapping his fingers once. A blonde teen appeared before them, his blue eyes wide and his grin just as big. He stood at least a foot taller than Arisu, something she found interesting as she'd always matched him in height as children. He was clad humbly in a dark blue suit and matching tie. "Tamaki, you remember Sayuri-Sama?"

"How could I forget such a beautiful maiden?" He said with a smile, taking Sayuri's hand and kissing it. Arisu rolled her eyes, earning a pointed look from her grandmother.

"And I'm sure you haven't forgotten Arisu-san?" Yuzuru grinned, holding his hand out to Arisu, pointing her out to his oblivious son. Tamaki grinned, his eyes growing wide as he looked down at her.

"But of course..." He trailed off, smiling at Arisu. It had been years since he'd seen her, but he'd recognize her face anywhere. Arisu had unique features, due to her american heritage. Her high cheek bones and her light hair gave her away instantly, but it was her eyes that Tamaki remembered most. "You've grown out your hair. I like it." He gave her a dashing grin.

"You are too kind, Tamaki-San." Arisu smiled, not sure how he could tell she'd grown her hair out with the updo her grandmother forced her to wear. Sayuri cleared her throat and quickly Arisu brought her sleeve up in front of her face. She felt her cheeks growing hot, as she'd forgotten that very important custom. Tamaki watched her, amused, something that only made Arisu feel more embarrassed. She'd never remember all of the posh things she now had to do.

"We give you our condolances, Sayuri-Sama." Yuzuru spoke quietly, his eyes flickering to the urn stting beside the women. "Especially to you, Arisu-san. You're father was a great man. I will miss him dearly."

"Thank you, Yuzuru-sama." Arisu mumbled, her eyes falling to the floor.

"Oh with the formalities already, Yuzu, we're practically family." Sayuri pish poshed, heaving a heavy sigh. "Have you managed to pay your respects to my late son?"

"Indeed we have, Sayuri. Tamaki and I didn't want to leave before delivering the great news." Yuzuru smiled and Sayuri's eyes lit up. Arisu watched her grandmother suspiciously as she clapped her hands together. Yuzuru turned his eyes to Arisu and she couldn't help but feel like she was at the center of a plot. "I am pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Ouran High School. I've talked with the Board of Trustees and we would be delighted to have you!"

Arisu's mouth dropped, completely forgetting the required etiquette for such an occasion. She'd assumed that she'd be going to Ouran next year, as it was late in the school year by now and she'd be behind in her classes. Arisu knew why she'd been accepted though; As the heiress of The Seto Toy Company they'd be stupid to turn her away.

"I can't believe you convinced them so late in the semester!" Sayuri babbled excitedly, proper etiquette forgotten by her as well.

"It was a tough sell, but she'll do fabulously at Ouran. Besides, Tamaki will be there to see her through." Yuzuru assumed, looking at the two teens.

"Of course." Tamaki beamed, extending a hand to Arisu. Arisu looked at his hand quietly, her eyes darting to her grandmother who watched her expectantly, giving her silent permission. Arisu took it, regretting her decision as Tamaki pulled her hand to his lips, kissing it lightly. "I'll see to it myself that she adjusts well to Ouran."

"Ah! Just perfect! Akira would be so proud!" Sayuri gushed. Arisu pulled her lips into a tight smile, tugging her hand away from Tamaki's grasp. Sayuri was talking animatedly, leaving Tamaki and Arisu to their own, awkward devices. Tamaki cleared his throat, adjusting his tie as he did.

"You look well." He blurted out suddenly. "I mean, for the occasion you look well." Arisu snorted, a very unlady like reaction, and Tamaki grinned. "There she is."

"Who?"

"The little american girl I always picked on when we were kids." Again Arisu snorted.

"I believe the oxygen up there is thin, Tama-chan. It was you who ran crying to Yuzuru-Sama every five minutes." Arisu laughed, recalling their stupid fights as children. Tamaki pouted childishly, his princely demeanor gone now that his father and her grandmother were no longer paying attention.

"You're so mean, Ari-puu!" Tamaki grinned at her. Arisu smiled at her childhood nickname. As children they were alway's adding silly honorifics to each others name, since being foreign children they hated having to use them, but she found that she liked this one the best and as always, he remembered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Arisu said robotically. It was knee jerk at this point, from everyone asking about her well being the past few days. Tamaki gave her a look that said he didn't believe her and she gave him what was supposed to be a reassuring smile.

"Arisu, we're friends. You don't have to be so formal." Tamaki told her. Arisu sighed, glancing over at her grandmother and Yuzuku. "Are you _okay_?" Arisu took a deep breath as he asked again, her lip quivering. She shook her head furiously, blinking away the tears.

"He seemed perfectly fine when I saw him last!" She blurted out, covering her mouth with her sleeve. As much as she hated this custom, she didn't want Tamaki to see her cry. Tamaki pulled her sleeve away from her face, wiping a stray tear that ran down her cheek. "I was so far away when he needed me! I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye!" Arisu sobbed, dabbing her eyes lightly with her handkerchief.

"I know, Arisu." Tamaki said, his voice barely above a whisper. He pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly leaving Arisu to marvel at how good human contact felt. Since she'd been in town, she'd barely merited a hug from her grandmother, which was typical for the woman, despite an occasion. Arisu wrapped her arms around Tamaki's waist, returning the hug and forgetting where exactly they were.

"It seems we're interrupting." A voice said casually. Tamaki and Arisu parted quickly, and Arisu straightened her obi and collar. In front of her stood another of the board members accompanied by a teen about Arisu's age. "I see you haven't out grown your _western ways_..." The older man trailed off, speaking of the inappropriate hug the two teens had shared.

"K-Kuwabara-Sama." Arisu stuttered, daring a glance over her shoulder. It seemed her grandmother and Yuzuru had moved off to chat with another group of trustees and Arisu shivered at the thought of her grandmother witnessing what just happened. "Welcome to our home." Arisu bowed.

"Your_ father's_ home is quiet beautiful, Arisu-san." Kuwabara veiled his insult with a smile, one that Arisu returned. "Tamaki-san, a pleasure as always." Kuwabara turned to Arisu's friend, blowing her off entirely.

"As always, Kuwabara-sama." Tamaki plastered a smile on his face as he shook Arakawa Kuwabara's hand. The man wore a snake like smile, one that Tamaki had never liked.

"I'm sure you remember my son, Souta?" Kuwabara asked haughtily, stepping to the side. Arisu had never seen the teen before, but Kuwabara was no longer talking to her. Being ignored in her own house, how cute.

"Tamaki-san," The boy smiled, bowing to the blonde teen respectfully. Souta turned to Arisu and his entire demeanor shifted. The smile dropped from his face and Arisu couldn't help but notice the resemblance between father and son. "Arisu-san." The boy didn't bow, which left Arisu confused. She had never met him, but she knew his father. They had always seemed to get along, despite Arisu's _western ways_, but now it was like Kuwabara loathed her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Souta-san." Arisu decided to remain as formal as possible, despite the lack of respect, and she bowed to him. When she came up from her bow, she couldn't help but notice the self satisfied smirk plastered on Souta's face.

"You two have come to pay your respects to the late Seto Akira, I pressume?" Tamaki asked, all the humor from earlier gone. He eyed the two men with thinly veiled contempt, and had it been his house he would've said something about the disrespectful way they spoke to Arisu. Had this been his house they would have been removed.

"We already have, Tamaki-san, we merely wanted to greet the son of the great Yuzuku Suoh." Kuwabara smiled at him.

"And Seto Arisu." Tamaki added. Kuwabara's eyes flashed and he glanced at Arisu, his smile more forced than it had been a moment ago.

"Of course. The _heiress_ has been most welcoming in her _father's _home." Kuwabara insisted yet again. In normal conversation, Kuwabara's words wouldn't have seemed so openly hostile, but the emphasis he put to them made Arisu's skin crawl. After a short pause, Kuwabara sighed, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "I was hoping to speak to your father and Lady Sayuri about several matters, but it seems they are busy." Kuwabara glanced over Arisu's shoulder. She didn't look and instead locked eyes with Souta, finding the way he continuously smirked at her to be unnerving. "I will just have to speak with them later. Have a _pleasant_ day, Arisu-san," He grinned at her before turning to Tamaki and bowing. "Tamaki-san."

"And you, Kuwabara-sama." Arisu returned as the pair took their leave. She stared after them with narrowed eyes. _What the hell was their problem?_

"They shouldn't be allowed to disrespect you like that." Tamaki murmured as he too watched after them. Arisu shrugged, it didn't really bother her, she was used to american rudeness, but she understood where he was coming from. Their actions were completely abhorent in high class japanese society.

"I'm not too worried about what Arakawa Kuwabara thinks about me." Arisu snorted.

"You should be, he is head of the board after all." Tamaki told her. Arisu turned to him, shocked. She wasn't aware that Kuwabara had gotten a promotion. "As head of the board he's is acting CEO until you graduate, Ari-puu." Tamaki turned to her, his expression grave. Arisu frowned, turning to watch the two men mingle with other mourners, every now and then catching Souta looking at her with a pretentious smirk. She bit her lip, a pit forming in her stomach; they were going to be a problem.

* * *

><p>Arisu sat lazily in the back seat of her grand mother's town car, staring out the window as they rode through the streets towards Ouran High School. Though she knew that Tamaki would be there and she wouldn't be totally alone on her first day, she dreaded it all the same. She gave a big yawn, forgetting to cover her mouth, to which she earned a light slap on her knee from her grandmother.<p>

"Arisu!" Sayuri hissed as her granddaughter wiped her eyes. Arisu, sighed, mumbling an apology and sitting up straighter, blinking her eyes several times to clear away the drowsiness. Sayuri knew she didn't sleep much the night before, even with her make up you could make out the dark circles under Arisu's eyes. Suddenly Sayuri was thankful she made her apply it, as Arisu was determined to go to school without any make up at all. "Tamaki-Kun will be waiting for you at the front door, We're arriving early so you can take a tour with him and Yuzu."

"Yes obaasan." Arisu sighed, sniffing lightly. Her nose was sore and she felt like she may be coming down with something. _Or it's just me finding an excuse not to go today._ She thought snarkily to herself.

"I have some affairs to tend to at company headquarters today, paperwork and such, but after school I would like you to attend Ouran High School's Host club." Arisu visibly slouched in her seat. She'd heard about host clubs, and from what she heard they sounded stupid. If she were in America, she'd liken it to a male escort service, just without the fun bits. She briefly mused what the point of _that_ kind of escort service would be, before brushing the thoughts aside entirely.

"I still don't see why I have to go to a specific club to talk to boys." Arisu turned to her grandmother, smiling widely. "Don't you think I'm charming enough to talk to one on my own?" Sayuri pursed her lips at Arisu cheeky statement, stifling a grin. Her attitude reminded the old woman of her late son very much.

"It's a great way to network, Arisu. The host's families are all very wealthy entrepreneurs, a few of them are even board members." Sayuri told her. Arisu grimaced, slouching in her seat.

"Is Souta-Kun a host?" Sayuri paused thoughtfully, thinking back on Arisu's question.

"I don't think so..." Sayuri hummed to herself, a finger on her chin. Arisu frowned as they pulled up to the large, posh school. She noticed Tamaki immediately, which lightened her mood a tad. "Ah, there's Tamaki-Kun!" Sayuri pointed out, obviously. "Now remember your manners, school here is different than in America. Oh! Also! Be nice at The Host Club. It may not matter to you now, but those contacts will be important when you take over the company."

"Sobaa! I get it okay? Be nice, don't be American. Understood." Arisu groaned, stepping out of the car. She straightened the ugly, yellow skirt of her uniform, tugging lightly at the tight collar, before tossing her satchel bag over her shoulder. She hated this uniform and much preferred the boys, but her Grandmother wouldn't allow her to switch it out even though it wasn't against school policy.

Sayuri pursed her lips at her granddaughter, before their driver shut the door and peeled out. Arisu waited for the car to be out of side before she turned on her heels to join Tamaki at the front doors. He waved happily to her, standing nearly as tall as her father, who also smiled and waved.

"Good morning, Ari-puu!" Tamaki greeted her. Arisu glanced at Yuzuru , who said nothing about the informal greeting.

"Good morning Tama-chan...?" She said unsure of herself. Yuzuru said nothing so she continued with her greeting, bowing to the Suoh patriarch. "And Yuzuru-Sama." Arisu grinned, feeling herself relax. She wasn't sure what her grandmother was talking about, Even as Headmaster, Yuzuru wasn't stuffy.

"Good morning, Arisu-San. I trust you found school okay?" Yuzuru asked. Arisu nodded as he returned her bow. "The uniform looks lovely on you." He gushed, causing Arisu to blush.

"Ah, thank you." She mumbled, scratching the back of her head. Yuzuru turned to his son, patting him on the shoulder before smiling at Arisu again.

"I'm afraid I wont be joining you on your tour today, Arisu-San. It seems that some unexpected matters have cropped up with the History teachers, however Tamaki had assured me that he would still show you around." Yuzuku told her, glancing at his watch.

"Of course, can't have you getting lost on your first day!" Tamaki said happily. Arisu rolled her eyes, apparently he forgot that he was the one with the horrible sense of direction.

"If you two can handle it, I will take my leave. Arisu-San, enjoy your first day on campus." Yuzuru chuckled, before walking away, leaving Tamaki and Arisu to their own devices.

If the outside of Ouran High School was huge, the inside was even more massive in size. It was luxurious and gaudy, each student having their own closet sized locker and decorative couches every several feet. The walls were pink and creme, an odd color palette for a school, in Arisu's opinion, with grand staircases and tall windows. There was a cherry blossom garden, a fountain garden and a topiary garden, plus a large track and several tennis courts.

Arisu was suddenly thankful that she had been given the grand tour after all, while she was good with directions, there were several different wings and buildings, each of them littered with many classrooms. Tamaki explained to her that the wings contained different curriculum and once you remembered which curriculum was where, it was easy to figure out from there.

As the tour was winding down, and the school began to crowd, Tamaki led Arisu to the west wing, where her Japanese class and her Japanese History class would be. Her locker was also in the west wing, something that Arisu was thankful for as she could visit it in the morning and not be too far from class.

"I am afraid that this is where I leave you, Mademoiselle." Tamaki sighed sadly, leaning one hand against the locker next to her. Arisu pouted, grabbing several off her books out of her locker. Tamaki watched as she pulled out a first year Japanese book, taking it from her without even asking. "I believe they gave you the wrong Japanese book, Ari-tan. Fear not, I will run and get you the correct book."

"Eh heh. that is the right book." Arisu told him, snatching it from his hand and depositing it in her satchel. He gave her a strange look as she shut her locker. "I'm in first year Japanese."

"But, you're a second year, Ari-puu." Tamaki said dumbly.

"Yeah well... I can't read or write Japanese, so i tested into the remedial class." Arisu frowned thinking about how hard it was going to be for her to learn in high school. "And before you say anything about the book being in Japanese..." Arisu fished through her bag, pulling out a Japanese to English dictionary. "Ta-daaaa!" She sing songed, holding it up for him to see.

"You could have told me you needed help, Ari-puu." Tamaki frowned at her, pushing the book down out of his face. Arisu pish poshed him.

"I'll be fine Tama-Tama." She reassured him. "Besides, it's not like I can't _understand_ what the teacher is saying. I'll just write my notes in English, take them home and translate them out into Japanese." The tardy bell rang and Arisu groaned. She didn't want to take on the school day. "Do we have any classes together?"

"I'm not sure..." Tamaki hummed to himself. Arisu frowned at him.

"Well, would you be able to walk me to this stupid club after school? Obaasan says that it'll help me network and make friends." Arisu grimaced at the thought of going to The Host Club.

"You? Friends?" Tamaki guffawed as he led Arisu down the hall and to her Japanese class.

"So funny." Arisu deadpanned. As she walked she couldn't help but notice all of the stares she was getting. She realized that she was exotic to most of the students, but with all eyes on her she felt like an animal on display at the zoo.

"I would love to take you to your club, Ari-puu, but I have one of my own to get to." Tamaki pouted, stopping just outside of a door. The sign above read 'Lecture hall 2.'

"Oh well, that's okay. I'll find it." Arisu smiled at him, shaking off her disappointment.

"Are you sure? I can have someone take you..." He looked at her wryly, insinuating that she would get lost.

"I'll be able to find it, Tama-Kuu, you've already been helpful enough." Arisu grinned at him, stepping towards the classroom door. She waved goodbye to her friend as she stepped inside. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but as soon as Arisu entered, all eyes snapped to her and she felt her cheeks grow hot.

"Ah, Seto Arisu, I see you've finally made it." The instructor said, clearing his throat. Arisu opened and closed her mouth rapidly, like a goldfish, nervous and unsure what to say.

"I-uh-I-I'm sorry, Sensei." She bowed to her teacher. The man smiled at her as she stood up.

"Well, I suppose, now that you're up here, you could introducing yourself to the class. It's customary for new students to say a few words about themselves." Arisu frowned at her teacher, before clearing her throat.

"Well, my name is Alice Seto, well no, I suppose my name is Seto Arisu," She continued, fumbling over her words. "I'm a second year transfer student from America." A hushed whisper washed over the students and Arisu glanced at the floor. She could make out bits and pieces of the conversations, people making comments about her being in a first year Japanese class.

"Well, Arisu-San, my name is Kaname Kurogane, but you may call me Kurogane-Sensei or just Sensei." Her instructor smiled politely at her, gesturing to the rows of desks in front of her. "It seems we only have one desk available, in the second girls row, next to Haruhi-Kun and the Hitachiin brothers." Arisu followed his hand noticing that each row of desks was either all girls or all boys, alternating. She found her seat quickly and quietly, pulling out her text book and dictionary.

Taking a quick look around, Arisu noticed most eyes were still on her, despite the fact that Kurogane had already started the days lessons. Some eyes were curious, while others watched her scornfully. Arisu sighed, sitting back in her seat, her name still floating around and poked at. She caught eyes with the slight brunette next to her who offered Arisu a polite smile.

"Hi." The boy spoke softly, his voice much less harsh than Arisu had expected. Arisu turned in her seat, just to make sure that it was indeed her being addressed.

"Hi." Arisu replied, waving awkwardly.

"My name is Fujioka Haruhi, but you can call me Haruhi."

"Seto Arisu, but you can call me Arisu." Arisu told him, feeling two pairs of eyes boring into the back of her head. She offered a wary look over her shoulder, where two red heads grinned at her with identical smiles. Arisu grinned uneasily at the twins who observed her curiously, their eyes flashing almost mischievously.

"Cut it out, you two. It creeps people out when you smile like that." Haruhi hissed from his chair. The twin in the first desk pouted at Haruhi, but they did as they were told.

"We're the Hitachin Twins." The one in the second desk said. "I'm Kaoru."

"And I'm Hikaru." The other said confidently, as if they'd been practicing their introductions. "Pay attention because there will be a test later." Hikaru finished coyly leaving Arisu to marvel at how quickly he bounced back from his pout. Haruhi rolled his eyes, jotting a few things down in his notebook.

"Just ignore them. They're harmless." Haruhi smiled as Arisu looked to him for help. Arisu nodded slowly, turning to face the board. She was horrified to find that Kurogane-Sensei had written out his notes while she wasn't listening, and now she couldn't understand them what she'd missed. The Hitachiin twins watched her, amused, as she opened her Japanese-English dictionary, flipping through it. Haruhi frowned at the girl who squinted up at the board and then down to her dictionary, looking more and more flustered with every passing second. "If you wanted, I could help you?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine, really." Arisu brushed off his offer.

"He's the famous commoner scholar, besides, you'll never get anywhere with that dictionary." The twin on the right, Hikaru, stated obviously. Arisu bit her lip, silently closing her dictionary, and Haruhi and Kaoru gave Hikaru matching dirty looks. Hikaru shrugged his shoulder innocently, twirling his pencil between his fingers. "What? I'm just trying to help her out."

"Again, Ignore him." Haruhi hissed, writing something else down. "It's really no trouble at all. I'm top of the class so you could say I'm good at this stuff." Arisu thought on his words momentarily, glancing at the rude Hitachiin twin from the corner of her eye. He watched her, a bored expression on his face. His words cut across her mind and she sighed. Arisu supposed a second year student did look pretty dumb in a first year Japanese class with a Japanese to English dictionary. But then she supposed teaching a teen how to read and write would be such a burden...

"I can't trouble you like that, honestly, I'll be fine." Haruhi frowned at the girl and Hikaru snorted, earning a hard flick to the back of his neck from his twin, who hissed something along the lines of 'rude' as he did it. Arisu glared at Hikaru, pulling out her dictionary again.

"Alright, but if you need help, all you have to do is ask." Haruhi told her. Arisu could tell that the boy was genuine, he really did want to help her, and for a moment she debated on accepting. Only for a moment.

* * *

><p>Arisu sat quietly in her Advanced Calculus class, working out one of the equations on her worksheet. She'd always enjoyed math, it was the same in every language, something that she was thankful for after the fiasco's that were her Japanese 1 and Japanese History classes. Where she was placed in remedial Language and History, Arisu had tested into Advanced Math, but even that didn't make her feel any less dumb. Arisu gave an audible sigh, tucking a stray strand of chestnut hair behind her ear.<p>

"Are you having trouble, Arisu-chan?" a voice asked from next to her. She turned in her seat and was greeted by a bubbly blonde head of hair. Arisu noticed the boy earlier, he was short and child like, a contented smile constantly on his face. The giant that sat behind the cherub like boy looked up momentarily from his paper, his eyes flickering with mild interest before he returned to his own worksheet.

"Oh no, Mitsukuni-Kun. I was just thinking about something frustrating." Arisu smiled at him as she figured out yet another answer. The teen next to her giggled innocently, leaning over the aisle way to look at her paper.

"You can call me Hani-Senpai." He beamed at her before his eyes returned to her paper. "And this is Mori-Senpai!" Hani pointed to the boy behind him before returning to Arisu's paper. He gasped in awe, pointing at her worksheet, turning to the giant behind him. "Look it Taka-Chan! Ari-Chan finished her worksheet already!" The giant glanced up again, humming to himself thoughtfully as Hani continued. "You seem pretty good at math, Ari-chan, so If math wasn't what was frustrating you, what was it?" There was a glint in Hani's eyes that Arisu couldn't place, and she sat straighter in her chair, clearing her throat.

Arisu was at a loss for words, she didn't quite know what to say to him. She wasn't one to complain to others about things that didn't concern them, but the way the boy looked at her made her want to. Arisu softened as the cherub grinned up at her and as she went to speak the final bell of the day rang. Hani pouted, returning to his desk and gathering his books together.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Ari-chan!" Hani said happily, turning to the giant behind him and shimmying up to his shoulders.  
>"Yes, tomorrow." Arisu frowned, disappointed, as she too packed up her bags. "Ah wait! Hani-Senpai! Mori-" She stopped, sighing heavily, seeing they had already left the room; she had wanted to ask them for directions to The Host Club. Silently she stood, taking out her school handbook and looking up The Host Club room number. <em>Music Room 3. That's all the way on the other side of campus!<em> Arisu groaned, dropping her head sadly.

It was at least a five minute walk to the Hashin Building for the Creative and Performing Arts. On her way Arisu was surprised to find how quickly Ouran High School emptied after hours. Rich kids seemed like the type to mingle, but she supposed deep down inside they were just like every other teen. Arisu smirked at the thought as she climbed the grand staircase in front of her to the second story.

Following the map printed in the back of her handbook, she easily found the music room. Arisu hesitated at the door, pressing her ear to it and listening intently. No sound could be heard through the thick wood of the ornately decorated door and Arisu sighed, grabbing hold of the handle. She hoped it was the right room, perhaps she was just early? Arisu turned the handle and the smell of roses hit her nose hard. She sneezed at the sudden fragrance, recovering, only to be assaulted with rose petals. She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid they would hurt as they hit her. One managed to make it's way past her lips and she grimaced, pulling the petal off of her tongue.

"Welcome, Princess!" Several voices shouted in unison from across the room.

"Wait... Ari-Puu?!" One voice spoke up after their initial greeting. Arisu froze in the doorway as it slammed shut behind her. Across the room from her stood seven teen boys, but the one in the middle she recognized immediately.

"Tama- chan?!" Arisu asked in disbelief. Tamaki's eyes widened at her and he stood from his chair. What on earth was she doing here?

"Tamaki, do you know this girl?" The host with the glasses spoke, his attention returning to the clipboard he held in his hand. Arisu noticed a familiar shade of red hair, the twins from her Japanese class, and they both tilted their head in unison, studying her.  
>"Hey, we know her too." The one on the left said suddenly. Arisu wasn't sure which twin was which at the moment, she'd only learned their names by their seating arrangement in class.<p>

"Yeah, that's the illiterate girl from our Japanese class." Ah, that one was Hikaru. Arisu glowered at him, putting her hand on her hips.

"I'm not illiterate. I can read English!"

"Because that does a lot of good for you in _Japan_." Hikaru snorted. There was a flurry of movement and a hand came out of nowhere, smacking the devil twin in the back of his head.

"Leave her alone, Hikaru." Another familiar voice said. Arisu's eyes fell to the brunette standing next to the twins, who gave her a pleasant smile. "Hello, Arisu." The boy waved at her.

"Haruhi? You're a host too?" Arisu's question remained unanswered as she was nearly tackled from the side by a flying ball of blonde hair.

"Ari-Chan!" The ball said as it finally latched itself to her waist. It was Hani. "If you would have told us you were coming to The Host Club, Taka-Chan and I would have waited for you!" Hani giggled at her, his brown eyes sparkling up at her. Arisu watched him, confused, before patting his head lightly.

"Mori-Senpai is here too?" She asked quietly as a dark shadow towered over her. She looked up to see Mori-Senpai standing above her. _Of Course._

"Mitsukuni," A deep voice drawled. Suddenly the weight was gone from Arisu's waist as Mori snatched Hani up by the collar. The small host was replaced on the ground beside her, his lips quivering pitifully. Mori seemed to scold him without words and Hani started to cry, real tears forming in his eyes.

"Wait, wait, WAIT!" Tamaki said his voice high and shrill. He'd managed to catch the attention of everyone in the room, included Arisu. "How do all of you know my Ari-puu?" he rounded on the twins. "Especially you, you shady twins!"

"She's in our Japanese class."

"Yeah boss, we said that earlier." The twins replied one after another. Tamaki narrowed his eyes at them shiftifly, as if he didn't believe them.

"It does make sense, Tamaki." The boy with glasses spoke up again. "It says here that Seto Arisu is taking remedial Japanese, so it's only practical they would have met her in their Japanese class." Arisu blinked in surprise.

"How do you know that?" She asked to which he only smirked.

"I make it my business to know everything about every student at Ouran." The boy said matter of factly, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. "My name is Ootori Kyoya, and I know much more about you than just your name. I also know you are the heiress to the Seto Toy Company, which I believe Headmaster Suoh is a board member of." Again, Arisu blinked.

"So that explains how the boss knows her." Hikaru spoke, or at least Arisu assumed it was Hikaru.

"You're Seto Akira's daughter?" Hani asked, his eyes growing wide with excitement. Arisu looked at the boy who was finally over his sobbing fit. From seemingly out of nowhere, he pulled out a pink stuffed animal, shoving it into Arisu's face. "This is Usa-Chan! He's from the Seto Toy Store in Tokyo!" Hani held it out to her expectantly.

"Hello Usa-Chan." Arisu said as she took it from him. Arisu felt her posture soften as she looked at the stuffed rabbit in her hands, recognizing him instantly. It started as something she drew up as a child and for her birthday, her father made it into a stuffed animal for her. She liked it so much that he decided to make it into a toy line, but he changed it, the toy line was pink while hers was white. He called it Arisubani or Alice the Bunny, which was her father's nickname for her since she was a child. "It's very nice to meet you."

Tamaki watched as Arisu absentmindedly poked the stuffed rabbit's button nose smiling lightly as she did. He felt a small smile tug at his lips, it had been forever since he'd seen her with a stuffed animal, especially Arisubani. He was left wondering if she still had hers, a silly thought in hindsight, as Arisu was always the sentimental type. The girl sighed, handing it back to Hani who hugged the rabbit tightly. From next to Tamaki, Kyoya cleared his throat.

"I don't mean to interupt, but hosting hours are about to begin. Usually you would designate a host to spend the day with..." He trailed off, insinuating that Arisu was supposed to choose one of them. Arisu felt her cheeks growing hot as she glanced around the room. She found it strange that she felt guilty that she had to pick only one, considering she'd somehow managed to aquaint herself with most of them through out the day. "Perhaps you prefer the mischievous type?" Kyoya pointed to the twins who smiled at her, interlocking their hands and taking a step closer to each other. She shook her head, creeped out by their display of affection and Kyoya continued. "The Boy Lollita and the Wild Type?" Arisu followed his pointing finger to Hani and Mori, she assumed Hani was the Lollita, which left her confused on how Mori was given the 'Wild Type' as he was so stoic. "Or perhaps the Cool type or the Natural?" He gestured to himself and Haruhi.

"Uh..." Arisu hummed to herself, her eyes falling on Tamaki, who stood across from her with his typical princely manner. "I guess I'll just pick Tamaki." She shrugged, pointing to him.

"Ah, the Princely Type." Kyoya stated, jotting something down on his clipboard. Arisu felt her cheeks flush.

"N-No, I dont have a type, I just am more familiar with him!" Arisu froze as Tamaki took a step closer to her, grabbing her hand. He placed his other around her waist, dipping her and giving her his most debonair smile. Slowly he brought he face towards her, hovering inches from her ear

"Lets take this time to become a little more familiar shall we?"

* * *

><p>"You're such a creep, Tama-chu." Arisu chided him once he'd pulled her off to a seperate table. In the middle sat a rather ornate looking vase, filled with fake roses, surrounded by sugary treats. Tamaki grinned at her from across the table, rather satisfied with himself as his elbows rested on the table and his chin in his hands.<p>

"You're so mean, Ari-kii." He pouted playfully. Arisu rolled her eyes, tapping her fingers on the table in front of her. She wasn't quite sure what to talk about, they weren't children anymore and the years had drifted them apart. Her school day hadn't been that glamorous, so there was nothing to say on that subject either. "If you would've told me that you wanted to come to The Host Club, I could've brought you." Tamaki said finally.

"I didn't _want_ to come, remember?" Arisu told him reffering to their conversation from earlier. Tamaki paused thoughtfully before a real frown found it's way to her lips.

"This is the "stupid club" Sayuri-Sama wanted you to come to?" Tamaki sounded genuinely hurt and Arisu blushed, feeling guilty.  
>"She wanted me to network, but there's barely anyone here." Arisu shrugged. She glanced around the room, it had filled up a bit, but not by much, and it seemed that every other host has several girls at their table. All except for Tamaki, as he requested not to see any one else for the day. Arisu caught the attention of a few girls who were sitting on the pink couch with Haruhi, sipping their tea. They scowled at her, obviously jealous of the one on one attention she was getting from Tamaki.<p>

"Well, if she wants you to network, Ari-puu, why did you designate me?"

"Because I know you?" Arisu told him, as if it were obvious.

"But you've meet Haruhi-Chan and Mori-senpai and Hani-senpai..." Tamaki trailed off, purposely leaving the shady twins out of it. He didn't particularly want Arisu to designate them, they were bad influences.

"So?" Arisu ignored the weird choice of Honorific he used for Haruhi and instead narrowed her eyes at him. He was getting at something, something that she didn't like.

"So, I demand that starting tomorrow you designate a different host every week!" Tamaki said dramatically, to which Arisu snorted. "If you designate me, I wont take you." He added as an after thought, seeing the whatever look on Arisu's face.

"But Tama-ru!" Arisu whined. Tamaki shushed her, leaving her no room to argue with him. Arisu pouted quietly while Tamaki sat back in his chair, proud of himself. He'd break her out of her shell, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright guys! Let me know if this story has your feels!<strong>

**Reviews are beautiful, just like you!**


	2. Starting Today, You Are An Extrovert!

**Moxxie: Yo yo yo! It's ya boy Optic Scumpy!... wait. I mean HI GUYS! It's me your lovely writer!**

**Host Club: Hi Moxxie!**

**Moxxie: So today I bring you teh next installment of Arisu's story with the dashing, the brave and the chivalrous Tamaki Suoh and his merry band of Hosts!**

****Tamaki: I have decided that I like this author and today she may sit with me, free of charge!****

**Haruhi: *sighs* great... that's exactly what he needs.**

**Hitachiin Twins: *Share a pointed look, smile mischievously* Hey look boss, a spider!**

**Tamaki: OH GOD WHERE GET IT OFF ME! *Squeals like a girl***

**Moxxie: O.O''... there's still dashing and chivalrous?**

**Kyoya: *Sighs* I see I'm stuck doing ANOTHER one of these... ****The writer acknowledges that Ouran High School Host Club, it's characters and storylines are creative properties of Bisco Hatori, Shojo Beat and VIZ Media. All original story and OC's are, however, creative properties of Moxxie Russo. **

**Hani: *Giggles* No Stealing!**

**Mori: Mitskuni. It's rude to interrupt people.**

**Hani: *cries***

* * *

><p>The room was quiet, every student around Arisu locked in concentration. Classical music floated lightly, Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture. Arisa hummed lightly to herself, brushing the paint onto the canvas in front of her. Her and her grandmother had come to an agreement, she would take business classes for most of her electives as long as Arisu was able to pick one. When Arisu chose Drawing and Painting, her grandmother still found a way to tie it into the Company.<p>

It will allow you to brush up on your design skills. Sayuri told her, to which Arisu rolled her eyes. Other than math, this was one class the Arisu found she excelled at. Since she was a child, she had loved drawing and her father always credited her with the design of Arisubani. Arisu wouldn't have any drawing skills if it wasn't for her father, though, as he used to sit down with her every night and they would draw each other's portraits.

* * *

><p><em>"Arisubani, are you ready?" Akira asked, his hand filled with two drawing pads, several pencils and a pack of crayons. The little girl's eye lit up and she grinned at her father.<br>_  
><em> "Yes Chichi!" Arisu stood up, taking the pad from her father and sat down at the coffee table. Akira followed his daughter's lead, taking a seat opposite of her. He watched Arisu open the pad and take up the pink colored pencil, as per usual, and bit back a grin as she glanced up at him, her tongue out in concentration. Arisu began to draw, starting with a very lopsided circle and Akira watched her over his own pad.<br>_  
><em> "That looks very good." He told her, to which she giggle, adding two over sized squares for his glasses. Akira looked at his own picture, which was coming along nicely if he did say so himself. After another half hour and several bright crayon colors later, Arisu dropped her crayon to the table, grinning up at her father.<br>_  
><em> "Done!" She said happily, picking up her picture and looking at it proudly. Akira grinned at his daughter, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt, before replacing them.<br>_  
><em> "Me too." He told her. In all honesty he had been done for a few minutes now, but he didn't like to rush her, you can't rush art. Shyly, the five year old held the pad out to her father and he took it, handing his off to her. He chuckled as her eyes grew wide and she gasped at his portrait of her.<br>_  
><em> "This is so good chichi!" The girl grinned, tracing her fingers over the drawn details of her face.<br>_  
><em> "Yours looks just like me, Arisubani." Akira smiled, holding it up next to his face. Arisu's smile fell as she looked between her father and her picture. Quietly she shook her head.<br>_  
><em> "No it doesn't." She pouted, taking the pad back from her father. Akira frowned at her, moving around the table to sit next to her. He pulled his young daughter into his lap, hugging her tightly and kissing the top of her head.<br>_  
><em> "I think it's beautiful, Arisu. Just like you." He tickled her sides and she cackled, squirming in his grip. after several seconds, Akira stopped, and Arisu stilled in his lap, still studying her picture.<br>_  
><em> "Chichi, do you think i'll ever be as good as you?"<br>_  
><em> "I think you already are." Akira said cheekily. Arisu shifted, looking up at him, her eyes narrowed.<br>_  
><em> "Be serious, chichi." Arisu said, her tone much too serious, so much so that Akira couldn't help but laugh at his daughter. Her serious look only intensified the more he laughed and after a few seconds he cleared his throat, straightening up and wiping his eyes. He couldn't help it, his daughter was too cute when she serioused up.<br>_  
><em> "If you keep practicing, you will be amazing one day, Arisubani." he hugged her tightly and she nuzzled into his chest. Akira place his chin on top of her head, sighing happily. "Even though you're already amazing to me."<em>

* * *

><p>Arisu was brought from her reverie by a violent shove from behind. She lurched forward, brush and pallet still in hand, horrified as the brush painted a thick line across her canvas, and she fell chest first into the pallet. Arisu froze, taking a deep, shaky breath as she pulled the pallet away from her chest, finding her uniform to be entirely ruined.<p>

"Oops." A girl giggled sarcastically, taking her seat a few chairs down. Arisu watched as her and her friend whispered to one another, laughing amoungst themselves. Several other students too began to chuckle, catching the attention of Kikyo-Sensei. She frowned over her half rimmed glasses at the students in class, her eyes finally settling on Arisu.

"Arisu-San," The teacher sighed, standing up and walking over to her. Arisu didn't move, instead she stared down at her ruined uniform, biting her lip hard enough that she swore she drew blood. Her cheeks burned, she was mortified, and as she looked at her ruined canvas it took all she had not to scream. "It seems you will have to get a new uniform." Kikyo told her, obviously.  
>"Yes sensei..." Arisu whispered, as the teacher helped her to her feet.<p>

"I'm not sure what happened, but this level of disrespect will not be tolerated from my students." Kikyo told the classroom. Her voice was serious, but it still didn't stop the laughing. Again Arisu made eye contact with the girl who shoved her, earning a wink in reply. "You can get a new uniform from Headmaster Suoh's secretary." Kikyo told her, as she ecorted Arisu to the door.

Quietly, Arisu made her way through the hallways, trying her best not to cry. She blinked back the tears, using her handkerchief to dab away the excess paint. Her handkerchief was ruined, to say the least, and had barely put a dent in the acryllic mess that was Arisu's chest. She sighed, crossing to the nearest garbage can and depositing her ruin hanky. Thankfully, the Headmaster's office was in the next building over, hopefully no one would see her like this.

Arisu suddenly felt nervous, walking up to the double doors that led to Headmaster Suoh's office. She sighed, looking down at herself, before brushing her hair behind her ears and straightening her skirt. She knocked once, a muffled 'come in' came in response. Slowly Arisu opened the door, surprised to find Headmaster Suoh alone in his office. He looked up at her from his paperwork, smiling as he did.

"Ah, Arisu-San..." Yuzuru was pleasantly surprised to see his newest student, but the pleasantry faded as he looked at her uniform. The girl was covered in paint, and he found himself frowning at her hagard appearance. "What happened to your uniform?"

"I... Fell... Into my painter's pallet." She told him. Yuzuru could hear the defeat in her voice, he knew she was lying and he cleared his throat, standing up from his desk.

"Don't worry, I think I may have a spare for you, What's your size?"

"Uh, womens medium." Arisu shifted awkwardly. Yuzuru nodded, crossing the room to a nearby closet. He disappeared through the door, returning a few seconds later wearing a frown and holding a dress bag however, this one held the boys uniform. "Usually we would apply it to your school fees, but since I don't seem to have any girls uniforms in your size, consider this one on the house."

"No, that's not necesary, Yuzuru-Sama..." Arisu sighed. Yuzuru shook his head, smiling at her happily.

"I insist." Arisu took the new uniform from him silently, bowing her head politely. She turned to leave, but Yuzuru cleared his throat, stopping her.

"After you've changed, I'd like for you to return to my office, if you have time." It wasn't a request, even though he said it like one. Arisu froze, suddenly very much worried about coming back. Yuzuru laughed at the terror on her face. "It's nothing serious, Arisu-San. I just wanted to check up with you to see how you were adjusting to your first week. I typically have a conference with new students at the end of their first week."

"Of course." Arisu breathed a sigh of relief, excusing herself politely as she turned and exited the office. It didn't take long for her to change and in a matter of minutes she returned to Headmaster Suoh's office. He'd buried himself in paperwork again, only stopping once she'd returned.

"Please, take a seat, Arisu-San." He pointed to the chair across from him. Arisu nodded, taking her seat quickly. The room went silent and Arisu fidgeted as it grew awkward. After a few seconds, Yuzuru cleared his throat, a deep frown forming on his face as he pulled Arisu's file. "How has your first week been?" It seemed like the best place to start.

"It's been fine." Arisu lied, thinking back to the difficulties she'd been having in Japanese and Japanese history. On top of her already failing grades, Arisu was also the subject of ridicule from quite a few students, most of them other girls. She'd forgotten how mean teenage girls could be over summer break.

Yuzuru gave her a tight smile, opening the folder in front of him. Silently he pulled out a piece of paper, looking it over briefly, before handing it to Arisu. She took it from him, recognizing it at her short answer test from Wednesday. She frowned, looking at the bright red number on the top: 0%. Arisu sighed, she knew she had failed that test. Half of it went unanswered and the half that was answered was written in broken Japanese at best.

"I'm concerned for you, Arisu, and not just as Dean of Students." Yuzuru frowned at her. Arisu couldn't even look at him, instead she trained her eyes on the big red zero at the top of the page. "I know how hard it can be, being the new student and a foreigner at that, but you can ask for help. No one will think any less of you."

"I know, it's just..." Arisu trailed off. She had nothing to say and instead gave a shrug.

"As long as you know." Yuzuru said softly, clearing his throat. "You may go back to class now, or the library is always open...?" He suggested, giving her a wink. Arisu chuckled, shaking her head.

Like father, like son.

* * *

><p>Like she had done all week, Arisu arrived early to The Host Club. She wanted to get there before the rest of the girls, as her "networking opportunity" had not been going as well as her grandmother may have hoped. After her one on one with Tamaki on her first day, many of the girls were apparently plagued with jealousy and hadn't been very friendly to Arisu since. Not to mention the sporty, and comfortable, new boy's uniform she'd been forced to wear would certainly cause a riot.<p>

"Ah, Arisu-San, you're early." Kyoya greeted her from the couch, barely looking up from his laptop. Arisu rolled her eyes.

"I'm early everyday, Kyoya-kun." Arisu told him, walking past him.

"And why is that?" Arisu stopped, his question holding some kind of undertone.

"Because getting pelted in the face with rose petals isn't my idea of fun." It's not that the statement wasn't true, but it definitely wasn't the reason she always came early. Kyoya smirked at her, returning to his laptop screen. He saw through her bluff, but decided not to call her out on it, as he had nothing to back it up. "Is Haruhi here?"

"I'm certain Haruhi-Chan is around here somewhere..." Kyoya hummed to himself, studying Arisu's appearance. This morning when she arrived, she had been wearing the girl's uniform, but at some point during the day she had changed, he'd heard several rumors floating about as to why, all of them involving art class. "I see you're wearing the boy's uniform." He stated bluntly. Kyoya was not known for beating around the bush.

"Ah, good, you aren't blind." Arisu smirked at him, avoiding his question entirely. Kyoya returned the smirk, standing from the couch.  
>Touche. He thought, her words seeming to him like a challenge, one that he willingly accepted. She didn't want to tell him, but he was certain he would get it out of her. He was curious as to what happened, and it bothered him that he only had hearsay to go by. Not that he cared, no, that was Tamaki's department, Kyoya just wanted to satisfy his need to know everything.

"What happened to your dress?" He inquired, hoping to hear the true story of her ruined uniform. Arisu narrowed her eyes at him.

"You already know, don't you?" Arisu groaned. Kyoya's glasses glinted under the fluorescent lighting, and he pushed them onto his nose. "Please don't tell Tama-Chan." Arisu begged.

"I'm afraid I can't promise that as half the school already knows." Arisu blinked at his words. "The rumor mill and all."

"Ari-puu!" A shrill voice cut through the air. Arisu froze, turning around to face what was certain doom.

"Of course." Arisu growled under her breath. Speak of the devil... She thought bitterly, as she came face to face with a frowning Tamaki. He crossed to her in three giant steps, taking her hand and pulling her close to him.

"I heard about what happened in art class! The entire paint closet collapsed on you? Are you injured?" He asked, checking her up and down. Arisu rolled her eyes, pulling away from him.

"I'm fine Tamaki." She snapped, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I fell into my painters pallet and it got all over my dress.. And how on Earth does a closet collapse on someone anyways?" Arisu argued finding the fact that he'd believe such an outrageous rumor to be absurd. Tamaki frowned at her, taking her in. She was currently in the boy's uniform, her hair pulled back into a high ponytail. He had to admit, he liked it on her preferring it to the yellow dress.

"That's not what we heard." The Hitachiin twins had joined the conversation now, stepping out from one of the back rooms.

"Yeah, we heard that Kurosawa Saika shoved you." The second brother grinned. She was certain it was Hikaru, as he was the only person she currently knew who got pleasure from other people's pain. Arisu glowered at them, she didn't really want her bullies to be common knowledge.

"Is that true, Arisu?" Tamaki asked her, his voice suddenly becoming serious. Arisu frowned at him, whenever Tamaki used her full name like that he meant business. Arisu sighed, rubbing her arm and looking at the floor.

"I'm sure it was an accident." Arisu made excuses for the girl, but Tamaki knew better. Saika-San was one of his regulars and though the girl was beautiful, she was equal parts devious. He knew that she was jealous of Arisu, he had overheard one of her conversations the other day with another Host Club regular. They weren't exactly fond of her lineage either.

"If you insist, Ari-puu." Tamaki sighed, not wanting to argue with her. He really had no proof other wise and even if he did, Arisu would deny it until she was blue in the face. Tamaki opened his mouth to speak, but Arisu cut him off.

"Is Haruhi here yet?" Arisu's question caught him off guard and he straightened, glancing over his shoulder and plastering a fake smile on his face. He was happy to hear that, as per their agreement, Arisu designated Haruhi or the remainder of the week.

"Haruhi-chan is already at his table." Tamaki told her, gesturing behind him.

"Ah, thank you, Tama-tama." Arisu thanked him, giving him a quick hug, before running off to find the Natural host. Tamaki watched her go, his smile dropping into a deep frown. The Hitachiin twins approached him quietly, watching Arisu enter the other room to find Haruhi studying at a far away table.

"What is it boss?" Hikaru asked him. Tamaki wasn't quite sure why but he was beyond angry with his regular. He wanted to remove her from The Host Club, the school even, but his rational side, however small it may be, told him that that was overkill. If he even talked to Saika about what happened, Arisu would be even more ostracized than she already was.

"I'd say he's worried." Kyoya spoke suddenly.

"Worried about what Kyo-Chan?" Hani asked, him and Mori suddenly appearing out of nowhere. That was a typical thing for those two, something that left Tamaki curious as to how they did it, considering how tall Mori was and how loud Hani was.

"Arisu-San." Mori spoke, pointing to Arisu and Haruhi.

"But why are we worried about Ari-Chan?" The young Lollita asked innocently, hoping down from Mori's shoulders. Tamaki wondered the same thing, it's not like she'd come to him with any concerns about bullies. But still... He sighed, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Does it have to do with why she sighs in class all the time?"

"She sighs in class?" Tamaki asked, turning to look at the short host, as did the rest of the Hosts. Hani nodded his head, humming to himself.

"She looks so sad all the time and whenever I ask her about why she's sighing she just tells me she "thought of something frustrating." At first I though it was because of math, but Ari-Chan is good at it so that's can't be it... Right Tama-chan?" Mori simply nodded in agreement to what his cousin had just said. Hani studied the look on Tamaki's face, amused by what he saw. The Prince of the host club seemed genuinely worried for their newest friend, a thought which caused Hani to stifle a devious grin.

* * *

><p>Arisu practically bolted across the room, glad to finally be away from Tamaki and the others. She couldn't handle the second degree questioning she had been subjected to and Arisu practically breathed a sigh of relief as she sat at the table with Haruhi. The boy blinked in surprise, tearing his eyes from his study materials to look up at Arisu.<p>

"Ah, Arisu-San. Right on time." Haruhi grinned. Arisu was always here early, it was no surprise today, and to be honest, Haruhi appreciated the punctuality.

"Please, Haruhi, we've been over this. Call me Arisu." Arisu gave Haruhi a look, causing the host to chuckle.

"If you insist." Haruhi told her. Arisu smiled at the host for a moment or two, before biting her lip nervously. She didn't want to ask Haruhi for her help, it wasn't something she was used to as she'd never needed help like this before. Haruhi noticed her change in demeanor and cleared his throat. "What's wrong, Arisu?" Arisu blushed sheepishly before digging into her bag, brandishing a sheet of paper. Arisu held it out for him to take, which he did, nearly choking as he saw the score up top.

"I know, I know, it's really bad... Haruhi... I need help." Arisu asked, hanging her head in shame.

"Of course I'll help you, Arisu." Haruhi smiled at the girl, which shocked Arisu. She didn't expect her to be so willing. "That's what friends are for, right?"

"Friends?"

"Yeah, I like to think of you as one." Haruhi paused thoughtfully. "If that's alright with you of course?" Arisu's eyes grew wide and she beamed at the host in front of her. The only friend she really had in Japan was Tamaki up until now, she'd just assumed the Host's thought of her as a guest.

"Oh yes! Thank you!" The foreign girl exclaimed loudly, her voice echoing off of the walls. She covered her mouth, embarrassed, and looked around the room to find the remaining hosts staring at them. Apparently Haruhi had noticed as well.

"What are they staring at." Haruhi mumbled, narrowing his eyes suspiciously. Haruhi was very familiar that look that they were getting, and it never meant anything good.

"Should we run?" Arisu knew from her experiences with Tamaki that he was capable of a great, many things, a scary amount of great, many things, and from her limited experience with The Host Club, she learned they often went along with him. Haruhi shook his head, glancing at the clock on the wall.

"They wouldn't pull something this close to Hosting Hours." Haruhi told her, to which Arisu nodded. As if on cue, the door to the music room opened and girl began to pour in, saving Arisu and Haruhi from whatever plot the rest of the hosts had been thinking up. "So when do you want to start? I'm free on Saturdays...?" Haruhi offered.

"Saturdays sound great." Arisu beamed at her, tossing her horrendous test back into her bag. "I know it's short notice, but could we start tomorrow?"

* * *

><p>By the time Arisu woke up the next morning, she was surprised to find that her grandmother was gone. The maids told Arisu that her grandmother had several affairs to work out and wouldn't return until dinner time. Silently, Arisu cheered, now she didn't have to explain to her grandma was she was going to Haruhi's to study.<p>

After pulling on a pair of jeans and a cardigan, Arisu was sure to pack all of her books and notebooks, everything she would need to learn something new. She decided against taking the town car, as she was almost certain the driver would tell on her, and instead opted for the train. She'd taken the subway in New York when her mother and her had visited, this wasn't much different, right?  
>Wrong. Arisu underestimated how difficult it would be to travel Japan while being unable to successfully read Japanese. Once she'd finally arrived at the correct stop, Arisu was almost certain she was in the wrong place, until she found someone to point her in the right direction. Thankfully, Haruhi didn't live far from the train station and a few easily remembered turns later Arisu was standing outside of a quaint apartment building.<p>

"I am so late." Arisu groaned, looking down at her watch. She was supposed to be here at noon, and here she was, forty five minutes later, knocking on the Haruhi's apartment door. She scolded herself for not getting Haruhi's cell number beforehand, as this whole situation could have probably been avoided. "I hope he isn't mad..." Arisu turned, looking over the balcony to the ground below. She was so embarrassed that she debated on whether a jump would end her or not. She heard the door clicked open behind her and Arisu froze.

"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Arisu turned, her eyes closed, afraid to even look at Haruhi. "I took the train and I didn't think about how hard it would be to find the right stop without being able to read Japanese and-" Arisu paused to catch her breath, opening her eyes. "I'm just really... uh... sorry?" The foreigner froze looking at the person who opened the door. In front of her stood a girl who was definitely her age, dressed in a modest blue dress and white sweater. Her short hair was held out of her face by a blue head band and she wore a pair of white house shoes. Arisu blinked several times, confusion evident on her face.

"I'm glad you made it Arisu, I was starting to think you'd cancelled." The girl spoke with a familiar voice, one that clicked in Arisu's brain.

"H-Haruhi?!" Arisu squeaked, earning a chuckle from the girl in front of her. Haruhi blushed, scratching the back of his (her?) head.

"Yeah, it's me. I suppose you're wondering why-"

"A-Are you a cross dresser?!" Arisu asked, rather loudly, to which she covered her mouth. Now it was Haruhi's turn to blink, as Arisu's question had caught her completely off guard.

_Technically she isn't wrong..._ Haruhi thought to herself, amused. "Well, I guess you could say that..." Haruhi hummed to herself thoughtfully, all the while leaving Arisu at her door, still completely confused. "Why don't you come in? I'll explain everything before we start."

* * *

><p>"I can't believe Tamaki is making you do this!" Arisu said, shocked that her childhood friend could be so mean. Haruhi had told her the story of the host club and she came to be a host, starting with the very expensive vase she'd accidentally broken. "I'll make him release you."<p>

"No, really, it's okay. I mean, I kind of like it anyways. They're my friends, senpai." Haruhi told her, setting a white kettle and two tea cups on the table in front of her. Haruhi smiled to herself as she poured the tea for them, a smile the Arisu recognized immediately.

"You like one of those boys don't you?" Arisu teased. Haruhi visibly froze at Arisu's words.

"N-no. You're crazy." The Host stammered out, her face a lovely shade of pink. Arisu took a sip of her tea, raising her eyebrow at Haruhi over her cup. She didn't believe her, not for one minute. "I dunno, they can be crazy-"

"Insane."

"Insane." Haruhi chuckled at Arisu's correction. "But they're good guys and they always have everyone's best interests in mind, even Hikaru..." Haruhi paused thoughtfully. "Most of the time." She added as an after thought. Arisu gave her a disbelieving look and Haruhi laughed. It must be hard for her to imagine, with the way he constantly teases her. The two girls grew quiet, but not awkwardly so, and Arisu took another sip of her tea. "I have a couple things for you..." Haruhi spoke suddenly, crawling across the floor to her bag. Arisu watched her curiously as she rifled through, coming back with several books in tow. Haruhi held them out to Arisu, and she took them, laughing at the children's books in her hands. "I've never tried to teach someone something before, my dad taught me with these books. I figured once you get this down, we could move to harder stuff."

Arisu flipped the book open in her hands. They definitely were made for toddlers, the pages were wooden and had been teethed on at one point, mostly it was pictures and the Kanji was basic at best. It was very similar to the toddler books she'd had as a child, except hers were in English.

"They say English is the hardest language to learn and I've already mastered that right? So this should be easy!" Arisu grinned. Haruhi released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She wasn't sure how Arisu would take to the children's books, the last thing Haruhi wanted was for Arisu to feel like Haruhi thought that she was dumb.

There was a sudden knock at the door and the girls exchanged confused looks before Haruhi stood to answer it. Arisu watched her twist the knob, incredibly startled when Tamaki fell through the doorway, as he had been leaning on the other side. The blonde landed in a heap on the floor, Haruhi glaring down at him.

"What are you _doing_ here senpai?!" Haruhi snapped, nudging his forehead with her foot.

"Daddy was worried when you didn't answer your phone! So I called mommy and the kids and we-" Tamaki stopped suddenly as him and Arisu met eyes. Tamaki's eyes grew three sizes and instantly he was off the floor, pointing at Arisu, horrified. "ARI-PUU! What on EARTH are you DOING here?!" He shrieked. Arisu held up the children's book wordlessly as two identical heads of red peaked around the door frame.

"_Uh oh_!" They said in unison.

"Looks like we may have a little problem." Kaoru said, amused. Tamaki felt himself beginning to sweat, he had to think of an excuse as to why Haruhi was dressed like a girl and quick.

"I guess Haruhi-Chan's little secret is out, isnt it? He's a cross dresser!" Tamaki exclaimed, satisfied with his paper thin excuse. Arisu, Haruhi and the twins wore matching expressions; Each one of them thought the Princely Host a moron.

"I know Haruhi is girl." Arisu deadpanned, causing Tamaki to visibly deflate.

"Yeah boss, even Arisu wouldn't believe _that_." Hikaru chimed, his brother and him now both inside. Arisu growled, chucking the toddler book at him, barely missing his head. It flew passed the door and Kyoya caught the book mid air, as he too stepped inside. Kyoya eyed both Arisu and Haruhi with silent amusement. He'd figured this day would come soon, luckily he'd thought of a contingency program.

"Well, this is an unexpected turn of events." Kyoya mused, his eyes dancing with delight.

"Did Tama-Chan say Ari-Chan was here?!" An excited voice asked as Hani raced passed Kyoya's legs. Arisu barely had time to prepare herself as Hani launched towards her, tackling her to the ground in a giant hug. "Ari-Chan! What are you doing at Haru-Chan's house?"

"Mitsukuni." A familiar deep voice came from the door. Mori had pushed passed Kyoya to chase his cousin, only to find he was too late; Hani had already glomped Arisu to the ground. Hani grinned sheepishly, releasing Arisu and sitting on the floor next to her, as he did not want to be forcibly removed like he had been last time.

"Well, Haruhi was supposed to be giving me Japanese lessons..." Arisu sighed, picking up another of the children's books and holding it up for everyone to see.

"Is that a toddler book?" Hikaru snorted. Haruhi glared at him, shoving him with her elbow before turning to Tamaki.

"Senpai, we've talked about this before. Just because I don't answer my phone doesn't mean I'm dead." Haruhi told him. Tamaki barely heard her as he was still staring at Arisu.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it you're alive." Hikaru huffed, crossing his arms. He was ready to get to the meat and potatoes of the situation, AKA Arisu.

"But what are going to do about _this_?" Kaoru finished for him, gesturing towards Arisu and Haruhi. The twins shared a mischievous look, Hikaru always liked it when they were on the same page.

"That is a good question." Kyoya interjected, stepping forward. "Now that she knows our little secret we can't very well let her leave." Arisu's eyes grew wide and she clutched the toddler book to her chest Tamaki sprang into action, rounding on Kyoya with a speed that Arisu had never seen before. The two began to squabble back and forth while Arisu watched. Every now and then Haruhi would have to intervene or the Hitachiin twins would insert their own mischievous comments, egging Tamaki on.

Arisu was so engrossed in the fighting that was going on across the room, that she barely noticed when Mori took a seat next to her and Hani. Quietly she looked at him, he was wearing the same stoic look he always did, despite the comedic value of the situation. Hani sat next to Arisu, a wide smile on his face as he, too, watched the show in front of him.

"Kyo-Chan was kidding. I think he just wanted to get a rise out of Tama-Chan." Hani giggled happily, glancing up at Arisu. Arisu breathed a sigh of relief, relaxing her fingers which were still tightly gripping the book she held.

"Mission accomplished." Arisu laughed, as Tamaki shouted something at Kyoya.

"Fine! But the Shady twins are to remain as far away from Ari-nii as possible!"

"Who are you calling shady!?" The twins guffawed in unison, identical fake pouts forming on their faces. Arisu raised a brow, the conversation seemingly coming to an end. Tamaki sighed dramatically, turning around and regaining his composure, before plastering a smile on his face.

"Kyoya and I have come to an agreement!" He exclaimed, just a dramatically as his sigh. "We have decided to make you a part of the Host Club!"

"No." Arisu replied plainly, causing Tamaki to deflate for a second time. There was no way she'd be caught dead entertaining any of those girls. Tamaki's lip began to quiver and Arisu took another sip of her tea, trying her best to ignore the puppy dog eyes he was giving her.

"But Ari-Puuuuu!" Tamaki whined, crossing the room and kneeling next to her. In a flash he had removed the tea cup from her hands, placing it back on the table, and took her hands in his. "If you refuse our offer, Kyoya says he'll have no choice but to erase your memory with one of his father's experimental medical procedures!" Arisu narrowed her eyes at him, wondering how on earth he could be so dense, until she glanced up at Kyoya. The Cool Host smiled at her devilishly.

"They're all currently in the testing phase, so we aren't sure how effective they'll be. You could lose a day, or you could lose five years." Kyoya told her confidently. Arisu was fairly certain he was bluffing, but the look in his eyes and the conviction in his voice made her quite unsure.

"There's no such science yet, Tama-Chan." Arisu told Tamaki, her voice not nearly as confident as Kyoya's had been. Tamaki gripped her chin, tilting it up to look at him. Arisu froze as she looked into his eyes, which pooled with untold emotions.

"You would risk forgetting me?" Tamaki whispered, hurt. Whether Tamaki believed what Kyoya said or not, She couldn't deny the hurt she saw in his eyes. Arisu sighed, defeated, she'd lost that argument too quickly for her liking.

"I'm not agreeing, but what is it you'd have me do?" Tamaki seemed to chipper immediately, however his hand did not leave her chin.

"It's simple, really. We need a manager of sorts, someone to keep track of our guests, our spending..." Kyoya trailed off. Arisu raised an eyebrow at him, pulling her chin away from Tamaki. She found it rather distracting to her while she was negotiating.  
>"You already do all of that." She argued. Kyoya smirked at her.<p>

"It is true, I do all of those things already. It would simply be a title we would give you as it would be in our best interest to keep you close by." Arisu groaned, dropping her head. All she wanted to do was learn to read, how had she gotten roped into this? Her eyes glanced from Tamaki, who watched her expectantly, to Kyoya who smirked at her, he knew he'd won, negotiations over.

"Fine! Fine, I'll do it." Arisu begrudgingly agreed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She'd suddenly gotten a headache. Tamaki cheered happily, clapping his hands together.

"Now Haruhi will have another girl to hang out with! Perhaps you can help to make her more effeminate!"

"Senpai..." Haruhi growled, warningly. Tamki ignored her, smiling at Arisu, glad to have her on board. "I'll ignore that comment. You still haven't told me why you're here." Tamaki stood tall and proud, almost authoritative.

"Mandatory Host Club outing!" He yelled dramatically. Haruhi and Arisu sighed, neither of them up for anything Tamaki was about to suggest. "We're going to a commoner's mall!"

"_Yay_!" The Hitachiin twins cheered in unison. Haruhi glared at all of them, shaking her head. Arisu didn't understand the appeal. In america there wasn't a set mall for the wealthy, so Arisu had been to quite a few of them.

"Damn rich people." Haruhi muttered, begrudgingly grabbing her jacket. She gave Arisu a pointed look. "You'd better get up before they carry you out of here."

"I'd like to see them try." Arisu snorted, picking up her tea cup again. Mori stood, towering over her and Arisu eyed him suspiciously. Suddenly, she was thrown over his shoulder, kicking and screaming, while Hani skipped along behind them, smiling at her devilishly.

"I tried to warn you, Arisu." Haruhi sighed, following Mori, Hani and her out the front door, locking it behind them.

* * *

><p>Haruhi directed them to the nearest mall, which was surprisingly close to her house. It was within walking distance, but the hosts whined until Haruhi allowed them to take the limo. Now Arisu and Haruhi walked quietly together, lagging behind the rest of the group. Tamaki and the Hitachiin twins were sightseeing; everything was amazing to them, from the food court to the "low end" retailers. Kyoya seemed bored, every once in a while he'd look up from his tablet and Hani sat excitedly atop Mori's shoulders.<p>

"Oh look!" Arisu said excitedly as the two came upon a traditional Japanese clothing store. Haruhi stopped next to Arisu, glancing up at the boys who continued walking, oblivious. She snorted, deciding that maybe she didn't want to stop them, they find her and Arisu eventually.

_But is the scene they are bound to cause when they find us going to be worth it?_ Haruhi mused to herself, weighing her options. Before she could decide, Arisu grabbed her hand, dragging the girl into the store after her. Arisu's eyes lit up, being from America she didn't have many traditional Japanese clothing stores around. Whenever she'd visit her father bi-yearly he always had new kimono's for her, but she'd never gotten to go to the store with him.

"I'm going to get a new kimono." Arisu said, her eyes full of wonder. Haruhi couldn't help but notice how she looked like a kid in a candy shop.

"You've never been to a Kimono store before?" Haruhi asked innocently. Arisu shook her head, fingering a brightly colored, floral yukata on a near by rack.

"No, In America we have Japanese stores, but nothing like this." Arisu grinned, taking the yukata off the rack and holding it up. Arisu noted how heavy it felt in her hands, it was of good quality, like the one's her father had bought her.

"I like that one, senpai." Haruhi smiled at her, grabbing the sleeve and holding it up to Arisu's eyes. "It looks good with your eyes, brings out the green."

"Really? It has so many layers..." Arisu frowned. It was a more formal yukata, not one she'd wear out casually.

"Well I think that one is for _married_ women." Haruhi told her, upon taking a closer look. She chuckled watching Arisu scramble to put the kimono back on the rack. Arisu's face burned scarlet and she dropped her head.

"I don't know anything about Japanese culture." Arisu sighed, earning a frown from Haruhi. "I don't even think I belong here. Maybe I should just go back to America..." Arisu began again to fumble through the kimono's around her, this time less enthusiastic. She couldn't even read the language, how could she be expected to run a multi-million dollar company?

"If you went back to America who would help me with those clowns?" Haruhi joked, talking about the host club. "You'll be fine, we'll get you reading and writing in no time. Soon you'll be reading circles around me."

"Do you think so?" Arisu asked, her pout turning into a frown. Haruhi grinned at her happily.

"Of course, senpai. I wouldn't have said it if i didn't." The girls grew quiet, both of them returning to the rack. "What about this one?" Haruhi said after a few silent minutes of searching. The female host had found a nice Yukata a few racks down, in practically the same color, only simpler, meant for an unmarried woman. Arisu turned to look at it, her eyes growing wide at the silky fabric.

"That's beautiful." Arisu said happily, as Haruhi handed the hanger to her.

"It really is." A voice suddenly spoke from a few feet away. Arisu and Haruhi looked up to find an older gentleman standing in a different aisle. He was a few year their senior, probably a university student, and he walked over to them with a smile. "That would be worn at a spring festival though, not during the fall." He told them.

"Ah, you're right." Haruhi forced a smile. The man turned, diving into the racks next to them. He glanced up at Arisu, his eyes trailing down her body as he studied her, before humming to himself, satisfied. Haruhi narrowed her eyes at him.

"You'll want a komon." He said finally, turning to the girls once more. "married or...?" he trailed off, fishing for his answer. Haruhi shifted uneasily, she didn't like the way he looked at her friend.

"Unmarried." The host glanced up at Arisu who answered him innocently, earning an even wider grin from their college-aged helper. He pulled a deep red and cream patterned komon off the rack, holding it up to Arisu's chest, as if to see what it would look like on her. Arisu froze as his hand rubbed against her cheek and instinctively she took a step away. The man frowned at her, taking a step forward and reaching out to catch her hand. Arisu tried to pull away from him, but his grip was tight. She looked down at her wrist and then up at the man who suddenly seemed so menacing. "Let go, please."

"I'm just trying to help, lets get you fitted." The sentence was innocent enough had it come from anyone else, but the gleam in this man's eyes was anything but helpful now. "This would look beautiful against your tanned complexion."

"She asked you to let go of her." Haruhi said suddenly, grabbing the man's hand and trying to pry his fingers from around Arisu's wrist. The man shoved her back, sending her falling into a rack of silk Kimonos.

"Haruhi!" Arisu reached for her, but someone else got there first, Arisu was surprised to see it was Tamaki. A flash of red hair and Arisu had been released from the man's grip, who now fell to the floor, stunned. One of the Hitachiin twins stood over him, his eyes slits, while the other stood behind him.

"Kaoru, would you mind?" The Hitachiin in front of her, Hikaru, gestured to the man on the ground. Kaoru smiled pleasantly at his brother.

"Not at all. How about we give you a few lessons in chivalry..." Kaoru trailed off, his eyes flashing menacingly. Hikaru turned to Arisu, scanning her quickly, before his eyes fell to Haruhi, who had managed to crawl out from under the kimonos she'd been thrown into, with Tamaki's help.

"Haruhi..." Hikaru whispered, kneeling next to the girl, who was holding her wrist to her chest. Hikaru took her wrist in his hand, looking at it with a frown.

"I'm fine, when that guy pushed me I fell weird on it. I just need some ice." She tried to brush off. Arisu watched as her friend tried to pull her hand away from Hikaru, only to have him hold on tighter, not wanting to let go of her.

"Haruhi, I-I'm so sorry!" Arisu apologized, looking over her shoulder at the man behind her. The store owner had appeared out of no where, as had Kyoya, and now teh two were talking heatedly. Hani and Mori had also joined him, the later currently subduing the lecherous customer while the former was on the phone with someone. Kaoru stood next to Mori, over seeing his own handiwork with a rather bored expression

"It's okay, Arisu. I'm fine." Haruhi groaned, pushing off the ground as Hikaru helped her. Hikaru shot Arisu a dirty look, leading Haruhi off to the side. Tamaki stood as well, watching Haruhi and Hikaru sadly before plastering a smile on his face. His expression didn't escape Arisu's attention no matter how briefly it was there.

"Did he hurt you?" Tamaki asked Arisu quietly. She shook her head, but Tamaki frowned at her, taking her hand in his and pulling the sleeve of her cardigan back. Her wrist was red and would probably be a bruise in a few minutes. Tamaki's frowned deepened and he looked up at Arisu. "Your wrist."

"I'm fine Tamaki, Haruhi is the one who's injured."

"And Hikaru is taking care of her," Tamaki pointed out. Arisu followed his gaze, seeing how Hikaru removed his over shirt, fashioning a make-shift sling out of it, much to Haruhi's chagrin. "So let me take care of you."

"I said I'm fine!" Arisu snapped suddenly, catching Tamaki off guard. She snatched her hand away from his, frowning over at her friend who still sat clutching her wrist. Arisu was angry with herself, Haruhi was injured because of her. She sighed, glancing once more at Tamaki before turning and walking out of the store, not noticing the torn way Tamaki stared after her.

* * *

><p><strong>Geesh, my chapters for this story are so damn long! I apologize... but also I don't. Muahaha!<strong>

**Also... I don't know HOW many of you have noticed this but, All of my extras are named after popular manga/anime characters. can you find them all :D (it's like a game now teehee)**

**As always, reviews are beautiful and always appreciated! I love hearing your feedback!**

**Stay Beautiful!**


	3. Jungle Pool SOS!

**Moxxie: Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?**

**Haruhi: Come with us and you will see, This our club of hosting.**

**Hitachiin Twins: This is The Host Club, This is the Host Club, Fan girls scream when we show our love! *Hikaru grabs Kaoru's chin, Fan girls scream***

**Mitskuni: This is Hosting, everybody make a scene, Give me chocolate cake and nobody dies tonight!**

**Mori: Mitskuni, brush your teeth, so you don't get a cavity.**

**Moxxie: I just want every one of my readers to take a moment and sing that to the tune of "this is halloween" from Nightmare Before Christmas. I'm very proud of my lyrics.**

**Kyoya: They were average at best.**

**Moxxie: But KYOYA! I worked so HARD on those! *CRIES***

**Tamaki: I thought they were wonderful, Mademoiselle. *Takes Moxxie's hand, kisses it***

**Moxxie: *v* *Doe eyes***

**Kaoru: *Bored* Is this the part where we get to say "Trick or Treat?"**

**Hikaru: *equally as bored* Can we just skip to the trick part?**

**Haruhi: *sighs* ****The writer acknowledges that Ouran High School Host Club, it's characters and story lines are creative properties of Bisco Hatori, Shojo Beat and VIZ Media. All original story and OC's are, however, creative properties of Moxxie Russo. ****No Stealing! **

* * *

><p>It had been a week or so since the expedition to the mall. Kyoya had called his family's private police force to deal with the pervert and Haruhi had been seen by his personal doctors (which only added to her debt, apparently.) Her wrist had been sprained during the attack and now Hikaru refused to let her leave his sight. She tried politely to make him see that she wasn't a child that needed constant supervision, but the silent treatment she was giving them didn't seem to work, which is why on this fine day at the Ouran High School Host Club, Haruhi and Arisu were sharing a table with The Hitachiin twins and their scary fans.<p>

"So Hikaru, where do you get your clothes?" One of the girls asked, smiling at the twins who sat at the head of the table.

"Our mother's newest fall collection just went to the runway, but we get the first look at her samples, picking our favorites for our own wardrobe." Hikaru responded, sounding bored. Arisu rolled her eyes, this was the third time this week she'd heard this story, you'd think their fans would tire of hearing them brag about their fashionista mom.

"But of course, we would have to model with each other to make sure it looks good, first." Kaoru interjected matter of factly. Hikaru looked at his brother with sparkling eyes and Haruhi and Arisu shared a look.

"Oh Kaoru, I have to tell you..." Hikaru said dramatically, causing Arisu to raise her eyebrow. Kaoru looked at him expectantly. "Sometimes I lied and told you to change into something else just to see you undress for me."

"H-Hikaru, how could you! That's so embarrassing." Kaoru pouted, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of crimson, as he turned to look away from his brother. Hikaru grabbed Kaoru's chin, turning so that he could look at him. The brother's met eyes, their faces growing closer together.

"I'm sorry Kaoru, next time I'll just undress with you to make you more comfortable."

Haruhi stifled a groan while Arisu's eyes widened at the loud squeals their fans produced. She tried desperately to ignore them, returning to the worksheets that Haruhi had printed up for her. Arisu found that learning to read and write in Japanese wasn't as hard as she thought and yesterday Haruhi moved her from Toddler books to Primary School reading.

Arisu was rather proud of her accomplishment as she had bragged to Tamaki earlier when he'd asked, but now that was coming back to bite her in the butt. After hosting hours had ended and the last girl gone, Tamaki stood atop one of the tables that Hani and Mori were sitting at. Haruhi elbowed Arisu in her side, catching her attention and pointing to the Princely host.

"Attention everyone!" Tamaki shouted, though there was no need. Everyone could have heard him fine, even if he wasn't shouting from on top of a table. He waited quietly for everyone to look at him and once all eyes were on him he cleared his throat. "Ari-tan has informed me that her lessons with Haruhi are going swimmingly!" Arisu frowned, she didn't like the way he emphasized that word.

"Would you look at that, you can teach an old dog new tricks!" Hikaru commented, leering at Arisu mischievously. Arisu growled at him, raising her fist to hit him, but Haruhi quietly lowered it. He'd been sore with her, even more sore than usual, since the incident at the mall. Secretly Arisu was certain He was angry with her for what happened to Haruhi.

"Hikaru." Haruhi glared at Hikaru quietly, earning a snicker from his twin.

"So this weekend, to celebrate our newest member's success, we will be taking a family day trip to-" Tamaki continued, turning to Mori. "Drumroll please." Mori obliged, smacking his hands on the table, much to the rest of the club's chagrin. "The Ootori family's newest atraction: The Tropical Aqua Garden!" Tamaki waited patiently for applause that barely came.

"I can't go, senpai. I was planning to study this weekend. I have a test coming up in physics." Haruhi informed the club.  
>"Well, it is mandatory." Kyoya started, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. "We're supposed to be test running the site, as it is a new attraction, but I suppose if you can't go, we can just up your quota..." Haruhi glared at him.<p>

"Tama-tu, I'm not sure if Obaasan will let me go." Arisu told him, her plan fool proof. She had the perfect excuse, there was no way her grandmother would let her go, unchaperoned, to a pool with a group of boys. She was too proper for that. Again Kyoya put in his two cents.

"I've already had the pleasure of speaking with Sayuri-Sama. She thinks it would be a wonderful idea and she was even more forth coming when we told her it was Tamaki's idea to help celebrate your success." He told her matter of factly.

"Traitor..." Arisu mumbled, visibly wilting.

"Then it's all settled! I'll be sending a car for everyone Saturday morning! Remember to bring your suits!"

* * *

><p>Tamaki wasn't lying when he said he would there early Saturday morning for her. Arisu was happy to see that She was the first to be picked up, and she climbed into the car, her beach bag in tow. Tamaki looked her up and down suspiciously, eyeing her sundress and hat.<p>

"You're not wearing your suit." He murmured. Arisu rolled her eyes, holding her bag up and waving it. She was, however, lying. She didn't actually bring a suit as she had no intentions of getting in the water, nor dressing skimpily in front of the devil twins. He narrowed his eyes at her even more, if that were possible, before smiling widely at her. "This is going to be so much fun Ari-puu."

"I bet." Arisu sighed, leaning back into her seat and crossing her legs. Tamaki watched as she reached into her bag, pulling out one of the books Haruhi had leant her. She began to read it quietly, and he read it over her shoulder. Once he was finished he waited for her to turn the page, only to find himself waiting... and waiting. She tilted her head to the side, confused.

"Let me help you." Tamaki smiled at her. Arisu looked up at him, blushing, before heaving a loud sigh. Quietly she took her finger, pointing to one of the characters on the page. "Ah, that's a character describing the dog. It's telling you how his fur is golden and soft." Tamaki beamed at her.

"Like your hair, Tama-tama." The girl teased, reaching her hand up and ruffling his hair. Tamaki blushed, clearing his throat and smiling at her.

"Yep, just like my hair." He grinned, watching as she turned the page. He continued to help her through out the drive. Tamaki always finished the page before her, smiling at the adorable face she made when she got stuck on a word or a syntax. Their lesson was only cut short when the Hitachiin twins made to kidnap Haruhi, forcibly shoving her into the car.

* * *

><p>"Try to make the most of this down time, and just relax, ladies. It's not everyday we in the host club get a day away to be ourselves..." Tamaki said, taking a sip of his drink. He'd lounged himself on the nearest chair next to Haruhi and Arisu, who were currently going over their vocab worksheets from earlier in the week. They paid him little mind and Tamaki pouted, shouting at them. "HEY! Don't just ignore me!"<p>

"Personally I think this is pointless and a waste of time. Arisu and I have studying to do so can we go home now?" Haruhi said with little emotion in her voice, still not looking up from her text book. Tamaki deflated, his eyes wide with shock. Kyoya walked up behind him, taking a seat in the available chair next to the Princely Host, his own drink in hand.

"You two are such wet blankets." Hikaru chimed in, suddenly appearing next to Haruhi and Arisu. He snatched the worksheets out from under their hands, while Kaoru took the books.

"Why dont you take a day off of studying?" Kaoru interjected. Arisu and Haruhi both reached for their study materials, which the twins held quietly over their heads.

"Well, if we ever had a day on of studying we would be able to take more days off!" Arisu snapped, snatching her now crumpled worksheet from Hikaru before turning to Kaoru and taking back her books.

"Yeah, every time we try to study you dopes come and interrupt us!" Haruhi chimed in matter of factly. The twins pouted but remained where they were. Arisu sighed, suddenly hot. It was so humid in the jungle dome, Kyoya explained that the humidity and temperature was always kept at a balmy 85 degrees on the way over. She blew a fallen strand of hair out of her face, before returning to her books.

"Haru-chan!" Hani senpai suddenly cheered from beside the short haired host. Arisu jumped, finding that she'd once again been pulled from her studying. "Do you wanna share some coconut juice with me? Or Ari-Chan! We could eat some mango cake and ice cream since you're so hot!" Hani noticed, turning to the Host Club Manager who was currently fanning herself with her hat. The short host had caught Tamaki's attention and he turned to look at Arisu, who was now sweating profusely.

"Arisu, close the book and put your suit on. If you keep sitting there in your clothes you're going to die from a heat stroke." Tamaki scolded her, dramatic as ever. Arisu rolled her eyes at him, she wasn't going to die, and Tamaki walked around the table to her, taking her books and papers and packing them up. She glowered at him, trying to take them back, only to fall short. Tamaki grabbed the girls bag before she could stop him, and he stopped, placing the books inside. "I thought you said you packed your swimsuit..." He muttered, frowning up at her. Arisu felt her cheeks grow red hot and she looked away from him.

"I must have forgot. Heh heh." She lied. Arisu had purposely not packed her swim suit. Tamaki stood, placing his hand on his hip as he frowned at her.

"Why would you not pack your suit if you knew we were going to a pool Ari-puu?"

"For the same reason I didn't wear mine. Neither of us have any intentions of swimming." Haruhi deadpanned. Arisu looked at her, grinning widely, glad to have Haruhi on her side.

"Neither of you packed you suits?" Hani asked innocently. His eyes began to glisten with tears and Arisu sighed heavily, looking up at Haruhi. The two girls frowned at him as the twins approached.

"Well that just will not do. Good thing The Ootori family has hired several of our mother's runway assistants as swimsuit attendants." Hikaru state matter of factly.

"Oh that's right!" Kaoru put his finger to his chin thoughtfully. "They were hired on to help guests who'd forgotten their suits. They've got all of our mother's latest designs..." The twins shared a mischievously look before grabbing Haruhi under her shoulders and forcibly dragging her off to the bathrooms. Arisu's eyes widened, she pitied her friend, who went with them kicking and screaming.

"Perfect! We'll get one for Ari-tama too!" Tamaki suggested happily. Arisu glared at him, reaching back into her bags for her books. There was no way she was going to be forced into swimming. Two rough hands grabbed her shoulders, pulling her from her chair. It was Mori, and he said nothing as he tucked Arisu under his arm, escorting her to the changing room at Tamaki's request.

"No my hat!" Arisu whined as she dropped it to the ground accidentally. "I can walk you know! Put me down! Are you serious!?" Arisu moaned, giving up. She wasn't going to win, not ever, especially against the giant that was Morinozuka Takashi. Hani skipped happily next to her, a pink inner-tube around his belly.

"This is going to be so much fun, Ari-chan!" He sing songed as Mori placed Arisu down in front of two bathroom attendants who were, of course, twins.

"Hello, Arisu-San!" The one on the left said, tilting her head to the side. Arisu stared at them with wide, horrified eyes and she caught sight of the Hitachiin twins off to the side, Haruhi no longer in tow. They spoke to the changing room door in front of them, begging for Haruhi to come out, to which Arisu could hear Haruhi refusing. "Haruhi-San is already in the changing rooms."

"She should be out any minute, so for now we'll make sure we get a suit for you!" The second twin said, tilting her head as well. Arisu shook her head as they descended, dragging her off into one of the rooms. Hanging from the wall, Arisu was surprised to find pair upon pairs of swim suits already in her size. She narrowed her eyes at the girls, who looked at her quietly, studying her. Finally one of the twins moved to the wall, pulling down a navy two piece with a nautical design.

"Oh no! I'm not wearing that!" Arisu argued, noticing how little fabric the two piece was actually made from.

"But nautical is all the rage this year!" The twin with the suit told Arisu matter of factly.

"And you'd look stunning in a two peice!" The other sing songed.

"NO TWO PIECES!" Arisu heard Tamaki shouting from the other side of the door. The fashionista twins shared a curious look before shrugging and returning to the wall of swim suits. Arisu made a mental note to thank Tamaki later, until she realized he'd have to be eaves dropping to have heard them.

"Tamaki! Quit being a pervert and get away from the door!" Arisu shouted. Tamaki felt his face flush as his ear was indeed pushed up against the door outside. Sheepishly he pulled away, looking at Kyoya and the twins, each of them smirking at him.

"What?!" He snapped, crossing his arms.

* * *

><p>After what felt like hours (and hours and hours) Arisu had finally managed to settle on a deep red monokini that didn't show too much skin. The twins were adamant about showing her mid drift, even after Arisu (and Tamaki) had told them no bikini's, so the suit she was currently wearing was considered a compromise. After a serious debate, Arisu agreed, but only if she could wear a wrap to cover her legs. Grabbing a white cover up and throwing it on, Arisu bailed before they could pick a skimpier swim suit cover. As she was running out of the dressing room, Arisu was unfortunate enough to run head long into a hard body. It was Tamaki, who had been waiting for her to finish changing.<p>

"Ow..." Arisu moaned, rubbing her nose as she had run face first into his chest. Tamaki froze, looking at his long time friend, barely noticing she'd just run into him. The suit that was chosen by the attendant's fit Arisu nicely and he couldn't help but stare. Arisu noticed, and she quickly crossed her arms, covering her chest, but not before snatching her sun hat back that he was holding. "Dont say a word." Arisu glowered, stalking off towards the poolside.

"I just don't see why we had to come all the way here to enjoy the water. You can get just as much fun out of an inflatable pool." Arisu heard Haruhi argue from the shallow end of the pool. The Hitachiin brothers stood a few feet away, looking at each other curiously.

"Inflatable pool? What's that?" They asked in unison. Haruhi glared at them, sighing.

"Let's see..." She said thoughtfully. Arisu removed her wrap, tossing it on a nearby chair, before running to the waters edge, quickly sinking to her neck. She glanced around hopefully, realizing most everyone was fairly wrapped up in what they were doing. The Hitachiin twins were busy learning from Haruhi what an inflatable pool was. Mori and Hani were down at the other end of the pool, Hani splashing his gentle friend while Kyoya was reading. Arisu narrowed her eyes at him.

_Why does he get to read?_ She thought bitterly. She didn't notice, however, that Tamaki was still where she left him by the changing rooms, nor did she notice how he hadn't blinked once since she walked away.

"You dunce." Arisu heard Hikaru sigh.

"Yeah, that's called a life raft." Kaoru told Haruhi after she was done explaining what an inflatable pool was. Haruhi groaned, dropping her head in frustration. Arisu went to speak when Hani interrupted her.

"Ari-Chan!" Hani called from a few feet away. He was quietly making his was over to Arisu, paddling in his inflatable inner tube. Arisu smiled at him, giving him a wave. "Do you wanna go swimming in the current pool with me?" He asked with wide eyes. Arisu looked at him, her eyes darting to the pool a few feet away.

"Curent pools are pretty strong, can you swim, Hani-senpai?" Arisu asked him. The short host nodded, giggling.

"I sure can!"

"Then why are you wearing a floaty?"

"Because it's just so cute!" Hani grinned. Arisu snorted, she couldn't help but agree. It was covered in pink bunny heads, part of her father's Arisubani summer swim collection.

"Alright, lets go." Arisu stood, wading her way to the current pool and Hani cheered, paddling happily behind her. Mori stood from where he was just swimming laps earlier, to follow the pair. "I can tag in if you'd like to take a break. Mori-Senpai." Arisu smiled at him. Mori paused for a moment, looking from Arisu to Hani, before giving a curt nod.

"Thank you, Arisu-San." He told her, climbing out of the pool and walking over to the juice bar.

"Ari- Chan! Hurry up or I'm going to start having fun with out you!" Hani cheered.

_I'm pretty sure you already did that a long time ago, Hani-Senpai_. Arisu thought bitterly, hoping out of the main pool and crossing to the current pool. As she entered the pool, Arisu was caught off guard by the strong current and clung tightly to the ladder. Hani was swimming in the middle, wading against the current with a big grin on his face.

"Look Ari-Chan! I can do it all by myself!"

"I can see that, Hani-Senpai!" Arisu called back, slowly making her way to him. Laughing as she did. Tamaki watched quietly as Arisu and Hani played in the pool several feet from him. Finally over his initial shock of Arisu in her swim suit, he meandered over to Kyoya, taking a seat next to him. He heard Arisu laugh as she made her way from the ladder to Hani's side, her smile big and bright. Tamaki grinned dumbly as he watched her, debating on joining the pair in the pool, until a rumble caught his attention. Kyoya sat up next to him, suddenly going stiff

"What on earth was that?" Kyoya muttered to himself. Tamaki shrugged, his attention returning to the current pool where Arisu and Hani were playing. He gasped loudly as a gigantic wave rushed towards his friends.

"Arisu!" Arisu heard her name from several feet away. She turned to see Tamaki pointing behind her, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Arisu narrowed her eyes, turning to catch sight of a giant wave washing towards her and Hani. Her eyes grew wide and she took the small host in her arms, trying desperately to swim to the side of the pool. Arisu didn't make it and her and Hani screamed as the wave crashed down on them. She barely had time to catch her breath before she was drug under water, Hani ripped from her arms by the current. Arisu broke the surface, only to be dragged under again, this time flailing wildly. She flipped several times until her forehead met suddenly the concrete bottom of the pool. Her vison blurry, the last thing she saw was Hani, floating several feet in front of her.

"Mitsukini!" Takashi yelled he too had seen the wave, but it was too late. By the time the wave had gone, Hani and Arisu were no where to be seen. Tamaki searched the water desperately, looking for any sign of them, but all he could find was Hani's inner tube. He went to jump in when Haruhi stopped him.

"Don't senpai! You'll be carried away too!"

"We have to find them!" He told her, his voice wild with worry.

"We will, but we have to be rational about this." Haruhi frowned, she too was worried about her two missing friends. She turned to Kyoya, who was already busy bringing up the parks map on his tablet. "Please tell me you know how to find them."

* * *

><p>Hot. that was the first thing Arisu felt. Pain. That was the second. She opened her eyes, hissing as she did, blinking so she could get used to the bright sunlight that had just blinded her. Slowly she tried to sit up, but found that that was a difficult feat as he body was sore, so instead she settled for rolling over on her stomach. It was clumsy, but she got the job done. She felt water on her feet, and sand, and she glanced backward to find that her toes were submerged in water, a beach. <em>A beach.<br>_  
>Arisu growled, pushing herself off of the ground as she remembered where she was. At the Ootori family waterpark. Then she growled again remembered what had happened to her, the big wave, the near death experience. She wobbled as she stood, putting her hands out to the side to stabilize herself. She must have been out for a while, when she looked down at herself she noticed her skin was beginning to burn. Arisu took a step, deciding that perhaps walking could wait.<p>

"Oh Ari-Chan!" Hani yelled from a few feet away. With blurry vision, Arisu looked up to find Hani running over to her. He latched himself to her waist, nearly knocking both of them over, however the boy was stronger than he looked and he made sure she was sturdy before he let go. "When I pulled you out of the water I was afraid you wouldn't wake up! I did CPR and you still didnt move so I went to find help but I didn't want to leave you!" The Lollita babbled. Arisu pinched the bridge of her nose, her head pounding.

"CPR?" Was all she was able to mutter. The boy lollita nodded furiously and Arisu felt her cheeks flush. Even though he was older than her, she still saw him as a child because of his height and demeanor. _Oh god. Does that count as my first kiss?  
><em>  
>"When the wave took us it drug us really far away from the others and now I don't know where we are!" Hani pouted. Arisu frowned at him, patting his head.<p>

"It's okay Hani-Senpai, we'll just walk until we run into a wall. This place didn't look that big from the outside." Arisu shrugged.

"Are you sure you're okay to walk, Ari-Chan? You hit your head pretty hard..."

"Hit my head?" Arisu asked, reaching her hand up to her forehead, hissing in pain as it met a fresh wound. She sighed again, bringing her hand back to reveal blood on her finger tips. "God dammit."

"We should take it easy, Ari-Chan, with an injury like that you could seriously hurt yourself if you push yourself too hard, especially in this humidity. The wound wont close all the way." Arisu squinted at the boy wondering how he knew all of this.

"You're very smart, Hani-Senpai." The short host giggled at her.

"Yep, I'm an honor student." He beamed at her. Arisu sighed, hands on her hips.

"So what should we do?" She asked the boy. Hani put a thoughtful finger to his chin, thinking hard on it.

"You can walk a little bit, right Arisu-Chan?"

"I don't see why not..."

"Okay! I found a gazebo not far from here! We can hang out there until everyone finds us!" He offered, pointing to the trees. Arisu smiled at him, despite their predicament, following the teen into the tree line. It only took Arisu a few minutes before she began to tire. the mix of her head injury and near drowning had taken it's toll on the girl, not to mention the humidity of the place.

_God damn it Kyoya_. Arisu thought bitterly, taking her frustrations out on the Ootori heir. She rolled her eyes, huffing as she brushed a bush out of her way. _I shouldn't even be mad at you. I should be mad at Tamaki. I'm going to kill him when i make it out of this jungle_. Arisu froze, hearing several animal and bird calls. Was that a roar? _**If** I ever make it out of this jungle_. Arisu corrected. There was another loud sound and Arisu turned quickly, the sudden movement only causing her head to ache more. That was definitely a roar.

"D-Did you hear that Ari-Chan?" Hani stammered from behind her. Arisu glanced back at the boy fearfully. Neither of them had anything that they could use as weapons and with Arisu only in her bathing suit she was practically useless. The bushes rustled several feet from them and slowly Arisu and Hani turned to look at them. From the undergrowth stepped three giant alligators, sending a shock through both Arisu and Hani.

"Alligators?!" Arisu shrieked.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIFE ARI-CHAN!" Hani squealed, taking off into the bushes, Arisu hot on his heels; he didnt have to tell her twice. Though the alligators didn't follow them, Arisu and Hani ran for several minutes before stopping in another small clearing. They both hunched over, catching their breaths, and Arisu wiped her forehead, feeling the blood begin pour from her recent injury. Hani frowned at her, taking her hand. "We need to stop, you can't walk anymore."

"Pfft. What are you talking about Senpai? I'm fine." Arisu groaned, taking a deep breath. She wasn't fine though. She felt light headed and her stomach hurt as well as her head. Her legs felt like jelly and the heavy humidity was stifling. Even in her swim suit she was sweating buckets and her skin was sore from sunburn. _Teach me to not take the reapplication warnings more seriously_. Hani frowned at her, looking around quietly, his eyes falling to a large tree next to them.

"We'll climb that tree so no more alligators can get us and you can rest for a while." Hani smiled at her, taking the tree first. He climbed like a spider monkey and Arisu snorted, the way he climbed the tree not unlike the way he would climb Mori. Once he was up at the top, he directed Arisu on the quickest way to him and without much difficulty she managed to pull herself to a branch across from him.

"Lost in the jungle, things can't get much worse can they?" Arisu said, mostly to herself. Hani-Chan giggled at her, until a sharp clap of thunder silenced him. Arisu's eyes grew wide, the familiar sound of rain pitter pattering on the thick tree top above them. A single drop made its way through the canopy, landing on Arisu's nose, taunting her. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" She screamed, her frustration finally getting the best of her. "THIS IS AN INDOOR WATER PARK! OOOOO TAMAKI I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Hani watched his friend and adventuring partner, highly amused as she shouted curses to the sky. He stifled a laugh as she threatened Tamaki's life, something that Hani knew she wouldn't follow up on. She was much to close to Tamaki, cared far too much for him to do that. Arisu sighed, leaning her head back on the branch behind her, closing her eyes. He followed her lead, mimicking her as he too got comfortable on the branches, a sudden mischievous thought coming to his mind.

"You know, I bet Tama-Chan is really worried right now." Hani sing songed, closing his eyes. He heard Arisu shift on her branch, she was looking at him. "I think he liked your swim suit too, Ari-chan. I caught him staring." The Lolita giggled, caused Arisu's face to flush.

"Yeah? Well he should be worried. Because when we get back I'm going to clobber him!" Arisu repeated to which Hani giggled. Arisu watched the short teen with narrowed eyes, he was very suspicious in this moment.

"I think you'll forget by the time we get back." Hani said suddenly, looking up into the canopy. "That or you wont want to." Arisu remained quiet, watching the boy Lollita for a few minutes more before speaking.

"I bet Mori-Senpai is really worried about you too."

"Taka-Chan always worries about me." Hani looked up at Arisu, suddenly seeming MUCH much older than he looked. "He forgets sometimes that I can take care of myself." Hani frowned.

"Well, I suppose the constant Boy Lolita act doesn't help that much, does it?" Arisu asked him. Hani paused thoughtfully before giggling again.

"You're right, Ari-Chan." Hani smiled at her. "But it's who I am. Just like Tamaki is who he is." Arisu paused, her eyes widening.  
><em>Did he do that on purpose?<em> She thought, looking back at how that conversation just came full circle. She watched him momentarily, waiting for the self satisfied smile but it never came, which only left Arisu more confused.

* * *

><p>The sudden squall ended shortly after it had started and Footsteps sounded from the ground below them. They were saved! Or so she thought, until a large army of heavily armed men burst through the clearing. Arisu frowned, watching the guerilla unit quietly from her perch. She glanced over at Hani, who was also watching, his face serious. Arisu remained quiet, thinking that maybe these men were, in fact, highly dangerous. She assumed Hani would have called out to them by now if he thought they were here to help. Once they'd passed, Hani stood on his branch, jumping to the adjacent tree.<p>

"Wait Senpai! Please don't leave me here!" Arisu begged him, carefully following his lead. She was surprised how quickly he moved through the trees while she remained clumsy and quite loud. She was surprised that the soldiers they were trailing hadn't heard her stomping around in the canopy yet. Hani came to a stop several feet away and Arisu knelt next to him. The small army had stopped, gathering around two figures menacingly, a tall man and a seemingly young boy. It was Mori and Haruhi. "Haru-" Hani's hand flew to Arisu's mouth, hushing her immediately.

"Don't give away your position. I'll be right back." Hani told her seriously. All she could do was nod at the small host as he wandered to another branch. Arisu felt her stress level rising, wondering what Hani was going to do.

"You there! Put the boy down immediately. If you refuse we will remove him forcefully!" Once of the militants called to Mori and Haruhi. They pointed their guns at the pair and Arisu's eyes went wide.

"Wait, hold on a second!" Haruhi began, only to be grabbed by a nearby officer. Arisu was terrified and she clung tightly to the branch, watching as Mori swung his fist, sending Haruhi's assailant flying.

"Suspect is resisting! Prepare to fire warning shots!" Arisu heard the many clicks of their guns and she stood on her branch.  
>Hani where are you?! Arisu thought frantically, ready to move.<p>

"Takashi! Haru-Chan! Out of the way!" Hani's familiar voice suddenly came from the trees on the other side of the clearing. Mori and Haruhi both turned and Arisu gasped as Hani swung from the tree like Tarzan, smashing his foot into a nearby soldiers face. He landed gracefully on the ground, glaring up at the remaining soldiers confidently.

"Hey! What are you doing pipsqueak?!" One of the soldiers rounded on him, only to be forcefully removed from out of Hani's way. Arisu watched in awe as the small host threw soldiers left and right, tossing, punching and kicking them like they were nothing. While Hani was fighting one of the last remaining soldiers, Arisu noticed one approaching him from behind. She glowered at him, grabbing for a nearby branch and holding tightly.

_Oh please, oh please, oh please_. She chanted over and over again, taking a deep breath and swinging from the tree towards the soldier. She swung into him, knocking the soldier from his feet, however she didn't really consider how the brakes worked before jumping. Her hands burned from the vine and she felt herself losing her grip until finally she swung free, flying through the air and into some nearby bushes. She landed with a loud oomf, the twigs breaking underneath her.

"Arisu!" Haruhi called, her eyes full of worry. Haruhi spared Hani and Mori's reunion a glance before joining her friend in the bushes. "Are you crazy?! What were you thinking?!" Haruhi scolded Arisu, slowly pulling her to her feet again. The foreign student forced a smile at Haruhi, but her legs were shaking and she fell to the ground again, on her hands and knees.

"Ari-Chan!" Hani called to her, as he too joined Arisu. Arisu grinned up at Hani snarkily.

"I saved you, Senpai." She teased through her deep breaths. Arisu was fine, just tired and she didn't want them to make a scene about her. Hani giggled at her, throwing his arms around her shoulders, nearly dragging her to the ground.

"Mitsukuni." Mori said, crossing to Hani, Haruhi and Arisu. Hani looked up at his tall friend and the two had a silent conversation ending in a smile from both of them

"I'm fine, Taka-Chan." Hani told him, releasing Arisu. Mori nodded, bending over and gently pulling Arisu to her feet. He held her shoulders momentarily, to make sure she wasn't going to fall over. He inclined his head to Arisu and she grinned at him.

"I'm fine too, Senpai." She told him. Mori nodded once, before pulling her wrist towards him. Arisu collided hard with his chest, almost knocking the wind out of her, and her eyes widened as Mori's arms wrapped around her shoulders tightly. "uh..."

"Thank you." He murmured finally. Arisu blinked several times, wondering what he was thanking her for, before she timidly returned his hug.

"Hani! Ari-Puu!" Tamaki yelled suddenly from a few feet off. The gentle giant pulled away from Arisu, releasing her hand and giving her another bow before turning to his cousin, inspecting him. Arisu sighed, finding she was actually glad to see the Prince of Ouran. He skidded to a stop in front of her and instantly his hand was on her chin, while the other was lifting her bangs away from her cut.  
>"Ow!" Arisu hissed, pulling her head away from him as his fingers came into contact with her wound. Kyoya walked up behind Tamaki, inspecting the damage as well.<p>

"You're very lucky, Arisu-San. That's a nasty cut and if Hani-Senpai hadn't been with you, you may have drowned." Kyoya said obviously. Arisu narrowed her eyes at him, in this moment she despised him deeply.

"Thank you, Kyoya-Kun, for that stunning revelatio-" Again, Arisu was jerked forward, this time into Tamaki's waiting arms. He ran a hand tightly around her waist while the other cradled her head, running his fingers through her hair. "Tama-fu stop!" Arisu muttered, only to be shushed.

"I was worried about you." He said without pulling away. Arisu froze, blushing, and remembering what Hani had told her in the tree. Tamaki really was worried about her and now she felt guilty for ever wanting to beat him into a bloody mess.

_Devious little lollita boy_. Arisu thought. Slowly Tamaki pulled away, reaching into the pocket of his swim trunks and returning with a handkerchief. He pressed it lightly to the cut in her hairline, causing her to wince and pull away from him. Tamaki frowned, dropping his hand to his side.

"Tama-Tama, I'm fine." She told her childhood friend, reaching down and taking his hanky from him to hold to her gash. He didnt seem to believe her and his frown deepened. He felt guilty, like he should've saved them before that wave took them. Tamaki looked away from her and she sighed, putting a finger to his cheek and forcing him to look at her. "_Tamaki_..." She trailed off, making sure that he was paying full attention. He was, when she used his full name it mean that she was serious. "I'm fine." Tamaki narrowed his eyes at her before turning around.

"Get on." He told her, gesturing towards his back.

"No way! I've been hopping through trees for a half hour, I'd really love for my feet to stay on the ground!" Arisu argued with him.

"Arisu." Tamaki shot her a look over his shoulder and Arisu's resistance faltered. He was no longer the charming, goofy prince she'd come to know and love. This was serious Tamaki and when Tamaki was serious he was stubborn. He got his way, period. "Would you stop arguing for once and just do as I ask? Let me help you!" Arisu bit her lip, any argument she had now moot, and walked up behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders. She jumped once and he caught her under her legs, hiking her up higher, letting her get situated in his back. She clung tightly to his neck, not wanting to get dropped. "I wont drop you, I promise." Tamaki whispered, taking several cautious steps, before becoming more emboldened in his walking. He frowned out into the trees, heading back the way that him and his fellow hosts had come. Again Arisu shifted on his back, resting her chin on his shoulder with a sigh.

"You'd better not." She teased. He shivered as her breath tickled his ear.

* * *

><p><strong>Another long chapter? I love you guys that's why.<strong>

**God dammit i just loved this chapter, it's one of my favorites. That Mitskuni bonding doe ;) little devil.**

**Also, if you guys aren't busy, go ahead and hop over to my Fullmetal Alchemist fan fiction, you know, if you're into dat stuff. It's coming along nicely i think as well... **

**As always, reviews are beautiful and always appreciated! I love hearing your feedback!**

**Stay Beautiful!**


End file.
